An awe-stricken breath escaped him as he entered the town square, the wind breezing against his skin and rippling his clothes as he looked around. It was busier here than along the main street, although maybe that shouldn’t have surprised him. People poured in and out of buildings, with most adventurers going straight across and into what Taka could only assume was the Guild. Like a vortex, it was truly attention pulling—red and gold and utterly towering, it must have stood at least twenty feet taller than any other building in the area. It also seemed to be relatively new, the paint was in tip-top shape, the wood revealing no blemish nor defect.
Shaking him from his observations, that noble brushed past. Wordlessly, he watched as the idiot entered the guild with so much arrogance in his step, you’d swear he’d found the place himself.
‘Well,’ he thought. ‘We’re here. I don’t know what that Beriyl guy’s problem is, but we’re here. Now, let’s see…’
Crossing his arms and trying to push down his nervous excitement, he went over a mental checklist like he usually did. Find a party, buy any needed gear, register with the guild…
‘…Okay, yeah. Register first. Let’s figure out the other stuff after.’
Now it was his turn to meet the guild head on. Slowly making his way across the clearing, he came to an abrupt stop just before the doors. They were tall, wide things made of solid wood, fitted with golden knockers that presumably deserved as handles. He reached out for one of the rings held in a sculpted lion’s mouth, then stopped himself. ‘What if this wasn’t the right building?’ Doubt whispered insidiously into his ear, continuing, ‘What if you open it, and-‘
“Well!” He slapped his face with both hands, putting a stop to that.
“I won't get anywhere by standing around. Come on, Taka…”
‘You can do this. You got this. You’re gonna be okay.’
With a deep breath, he gripped both rings and pulled the doors open. Instantly, a blast of cold air hit him in the face.
“Whoa!” He exclaimed, though he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t weird to open a door and have it be colder inside than outside. But then again, he did say weird things when he was nerv-
“Close the damn door already!” Someone shouted from his left, taking him out of his thoughts.
‘Woops.’
“Uh, sorry.” He apologized, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him.
Clack.
To Taka’s immediate left was a long velvet-cushioned bench lining the wall, which atop sat an irate halfling with a large axe on his back. Evidently, he was stronger than he looked.
“Hmph,” The man grunted with a half-hearted eyeroll, as if daring him to say something.
But Taka said nothing. Avoiding confrontation, he instead turned away and let his eyes wander about the room, until they settled on what was just above that halfling-- A large and round golden clock.
If he had to guess, it was probably the size of, or maybe a bit larger than a dresser or three. Its presence left ample space on the wall, sure, but it really was eye-catching nonetheless.
The guild hall itself was surprisingly spacious, in that it seemed both very long and very wide; although, you probably wouldn’t think it to be, what, with the hundred-some people currently in it. The building’s height wasn’t for show: flights of stairs led to the upper levels, which held meeting rooms, storage, and so on and so forth.
The crowd was a blending pot of life – men, women, and those in between, adventurers new and old, folk of all races… Some conversed with companions, while others were off to the side, scrutinizing the job board. Many were in line, of which there were two. One along the wall nearest the job board, and one in the middle. At the head of the latter was someone Taka had unfortunately been seeing a lot of lately-- Beriyl. Despite only being able to see the back of his head, he knew it was him.
That noble’s hair was incredibly unique; Taka had traveled with Dane for years, and not once had he seen someone with hair like his. Not even here in this room, where upon looking into the crowd he saw shades of every color adorning heads—not one of them bore Beriyl’s raven-locked, blue-streaked combination.
A clear voice shouted to be heard above the clamor, tearing him out of his idling thoughts; “Newcomers! Registrations will be the middle line!”
Hit by another wave of emotion, one thought played in his head: Here, he’d become an adventurer. For real. He’d really, finally, be an adventurer!
The thought made him unbearably excited. What would his party members be like? How would he find them? What would his first job be? What would-
He got in line, grateful for the directions provided by the employee earlier. Grateful, that he didn’t have to rely on Beriyl’s presence in it and indirectly trust such a pampered noble, least of all someone he didn’t even really like.
‘It’s like, we’re, um… like oil and water.’
In any case, it didn’t seem like the wait would be too long. Taka was at the very back, and there was countably about fifteen people ahead of him, with Beriyl’s turn set to be after three (from what Taka could see) others. It seemed like it was taking about five to ten minutes per person, which meant…. Hm.
‘So, like… it’ll be an hour or two? I hope not. That would kinda-’
“Ah!”
A rough pain shot through his shoulder as someone shoved him aside—their face obscured by the hood they wore, Taka had no clue who it was. He barely managed to keep his balance, and turned to say something, anything, but they were already melting into the crowd, leaving nothing but an ingenuine “Sorry!” in their wake. Their voice suggested a young girl, so…
‘I guess maybe she’s in a hurry or something.’
He didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t a big deal, it was a busy day, she apologized, yeah. It was okay.
Elsewhere in the guild, a lone lizardfolk woman looked around in confusion, seemingly lost. There was a dwarf arguing with his party members about something or other, while chugging heartily from a flask. The employees continued issuing directions. A rough-hewn man dressed in simple traveling clothes and a mix of brigandine and leather armor— the selfsame man who’d spoken to Beriyl and Taka on the carriage— entered the guild and stepped into line quietly.
To Taka’s great surprise, not even an hour had passed before he found himself at the front of the line.
#
As the clock’s hands struck noon, the air began to fill with a slow, gentle tune. The chimes were loud, reverberating throughout the hall before falling off into silence, consumed by the ever-present chorus of voices.
It was overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that he had forgotten where he was standing, and that someone was currently trying to speak to him.
“Um… are you alright?”
An electric feeling jolted through his mind for a split second, that realization that something demands your attention.
‘Oh shit.’
“Ah!” He gasped, turning his attention to the voice in front of him. Awkwardly, he tried to recover, stammering, “Yes, er, uh. Sorry. Yeah?”
Greeting him from behind the counter with a slightly strained smile was a human woman.
“Welcome to Leln’s adventuring guild. May I help you?”
His heart pounded in his throat as he nodded.
"Oh, y- yes. Um, I- I'm, uh, um, here to register with the, uh, guild as a, uh, a- adventurer."
While he had intended to speak calmly and confidently, his voice wouldn’t comply and his tongue had gotten twisted up, and his throat, and… he’d failed completely.
"Certainly," She immediately replied, quick enough to make Taka think she’d been preparing to say that ever since he’d gotten in line. Although, what seemed more likely was that she’d just been handling guild registration affairs for a while.
Something he did notice, idly looking around while the guild lady flipped through a stack of papers, was that the guy who’d followed him here – Beriyl, if he remembered right -- was nowhere to be found. Ah, well. He hadn't really been paying all that much attention to anything while he’d been in line, so it made sense he hadn't seen him leave. Right before he stopped looking for the half-elf noble, he caught a glimpse of another semi-familiar face waiting in line.
‘It’s the depressed guy from before… What’s he doing here? He looks like an adventurer to me already, but maybe he isn’t, and… oh, or I guess he could be in the wrong line. But if he was already an adventurer, wouldn’t he-’
“Ahem.”
Taka spun around.
“Oh, um…”
His eyes fell down upon the piece of paper waiting for him on the desk. Reaching out for the pen beside it, he couldn’t help but apologize for the umpteenth time.
“Uh, sorry…”
‘I should ask about the bell,’ His thoughts needled.
“Uh, is this the...?” He asked, trailing off as he pointed awkwardly toward the paper.
The receptionist huffed, before forcing her face into a tight-lipped smile.
“Yes. You just need to fill it out and hand it back to me. Please, take your time.”
She was clearly getting tired of dealing with people. Come to think of it, she looked awfully tired. Taka wondered if maybe she were depressed as he stared at the pen, trying to instill enough confidence in himself to ask his burning question.
‘Should I just ask her now? I want to know about it. But isn’t that weird? Or rude? I don’t know, but I’m just sitting here. I can’t just sit and stare at it. She’s going to think I’m a weirdo. Or that I’m creepy. Because I’m just sitting here. Decide something, Taka! This isn’t that hard. Ask her or don’t. Don’t just sit here. Come on, come on, come on… Agh!’
The lady narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
“Something the matter?” She sighed, her tone softening as she then added, “Do you need me to get someone who can write for you?”
“Uh, no…” Taka muttered. “I know how to write. It’s, um… Sorry. I’ve had this question, and maybe it’s kind of stupid, and if it is then I’m sorry, but uh, what’s with the bell? The, um, the clock thing? What does that bell sounding song mean?”
That same taut smile. Stretched thin over countless hours of the same conversation, over and over. This however, seemed to be a new question, as she answered with more clarity, and less of a “this is a job I’m only working at for the coin” tone of voice.
“When the chime plays, it means it is midday. It does so twice a day, once at noon and again at midnight.”
“Oh. Thank you. That’s interesting.” Taka said, smiling nervously.
“Certainly.”
And then, he finally took up the pen and put it to the paper… where he immediately found himself distracted by his stomach. It felt like an empty pit, and kind of hurt. Which was understandable, considering that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.
‘Well, I’ll just have to grab something to eat after this.’ He quickly decided, narrowing his eyes and studying the paper.
It was fairly simple paperwork, from the looks of it. It contained areas to fill out his basic information—his name, age, and “role”, amongst other minor things. In the role section of the form, there were several checkboxes and a blank line preceded by “Other:”. Taka, having never done paperwork before, was completely and utterly lost.
‘Uh…. Vanguard fighter, spellcaster, healer, scout, other…? Is this my role? Oh. There it is. Role. Okay, um… I’m obviously not a healer and I don’t think I’m gonna be much of a fighter, I’m not a spellcaster in any way, so…’
“Would you like some help?” The lady behind the counter asked.
“O- oh, er. I’m just completely lost. I’ve not done paperwork before, and…”
“Not a problem at all,” She interrupted, unintentionally. “We get many people like that. What are you confused about?”
Taka held the paper out to her and pointed at it.
“I don’t know how to explain it. The role thing. How do I know what to pick?”
The receptionist smiled. It wasn’t a derisive one by any means, but Taka felt like she were laughing at him in her mind.
“That’s just asking for your role in a team dynamic. If you can cast spells, I’d recommend you circle spellcaster. If you’re comfortable on the frontlines, then I’d suggest fighter. Does that make sense?”
Taka blinked and struggled to think up a reply fast enough. He failed, and so the guild lady followed up with another question, aiming to guide him onto his right answer.
“In a team dynamic, in what role do you think you would be most helpful?”
“Oh. Um… I- I mean, I’m perceptive, I… guess?”
Leaning forward over the desk, the guild employee let one finger come to rest upon a particular unchecked box.
“Then, I’d suggest circling Scout. A perceptive party member in the scout role is never a bad thing. The ability to recognize traps or ambushes is an invaluable skill in any party composition.”
Well, that thought alone made him very stressed out. What if he messed up and got someone killed? What if he wasn’t fast enough? What if he actually wasn’t perceptive, and he was wrong? What if-
“Don’t worry. You can always come back and have it changed in the future.”
‘That makes me a little less worried, I guess, but also not. I… gah, aghhhh!!!!! Whatever, whatever. Whatever, whatever, whatever. Shut up, it’ll be fine. Stop worrying. Taka. Stopppppppp! Dane always told me to stop worrying so much, and I just can’t! Just stop! Quiet! No more thoughts. No. Circle it.’
Pulling the paper back toward himself, he circled; “Scout”, then finished the rest of the page in a few minutes. Handing the sheet of paper back, he was then instructed to place his hand on a glowing sigil on the desk.
A few moments after that, he received a necklace known as an “adventurer tag” from the receptionist. As he was told, it would be used to quickly detail his name, rank, and age if he died.
“…Oh, great!” Taka sarcastically quipped. The receptionist waved her hand and gave a dry smile.
“Don’t worry,” She tried to reassure him, her tone clinical as she elaborated, “It has purposes beyond that. One such example is when you’re trying to form a party; they can help expedite the process. Lets you get a good idea of what role a person might be best suited for in your composition. Of course, people can lie, but that’s outside guild jurisdiction. Other than that, we’ve got your info on file now, so we probably won’t need to see it again. By the way, when I say “we”, I’m speaking of the Guild.”
The rank that he now held was the rank F, titled "Clay". The first ranking out of many for adventurers. It supposedly symbolized the "moldability" of fledgling adventurers, such that who they were now and who they were in the future could potentially be quite different. As Taka was told, the ranks went something like this, from highest to lowest:
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Rank S: Legendary
Rank A: Platinum
Rank B: Gold
Rank C: Silver
Rank D: Copper
Rank E: Bronze
Rank F: Clay
It was impressed upon him that, by the end of their career, most adventurers ranked somewhere between Gold and Copper, with most never seeing Platinum and only one person in history being awarded an S-ranking; that person being, of course, the Hero Lelnas.
Then, he was buffeted by seemingly hundreds of rules and things to remember. When he finally left the guild building behind, he almost felt more stressed out than he had first entering it.
#
Standing outside the guild hall, head reeling with information, Taka found himself in a state vastly different to the one he’d been in a few short hours ago. For starters, the tag dangling from his neck hadn’t been there. He fidgeted with it for a moment, before tucking it beneath his shirt. The metal was cold and uncomfortable against his skin—he didn’t much like the feeling, so he decided he’d put it away in his bag whenever he had the chance. There wasn’t any rule stating you had to wear it, anyway.
‘At the same time though, I kind of want to wear it. It’s proof I finally got to realize part of my dream.’
Clearing his mind, he took a deep breath in, then exhaled. The last time he had stood in this square, just earlier that same day, he had not been an adventurer. Now that he was, he didn’t really feel too different. His stomach, however, thought otherwise, as evidenced by its angry growls.
‘Well, my damn stomach aside, that wasn’t so bad. We did it, anyway. Good job, Taka. See what happens when you just try?’
He had overcome one major hurdle, and consequently felt less tormented by his nerves. That done, he went over his mental checklist again.
‘Get my gear, so, go shopping, find a party, and then… possibly take jobs, right…? Or maybe, since it’s the first day it’s too early to…? Gah!’
He’d just figure it out as he went along. Of course, he could go and eat now, and then… No! The idea of stopping didn’t sit well with him, he really wanted to get his gear while the sun was still up. So, that was what he was gonna do; his “damn stomach” could wait.
‘It’s annoying, but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. But still… I ate all the snacks Dane gave me and I’m still hungry. But that was yesterday! So? So what? What the hells do you- shut up! This is not productive. Stop yelling at me. Myself. We will eat. Later. It’s fine. Shut up!’
Right. With that out of the way, next he'd check out the various specialized adventuring shops. As Taka recalled, there was one such building that had really caught his eye when he’d arrived, and so he began to make his way back towards it.
Leln was surprisingly large, despite how it appeared. It had the “feel” of a very small town, yet was unquestionably a decent middling size, with its own districts and market. He’d stolen a few glimpses at said market on his way to the guild—the food vendors peddling street food were particularly intriguing… Especially to his stomach. Altogether, it was exactly what Taka would have imagined and expected from a town with a reputation for being “the best for new adventurers”.
The air was full of noise as people hurried around him—busy as usual, if maybe a bit less busy than it had been when he’d arrived. Here was to hoping his estimate would be correct, that getting back to that spot would only take him thirty or so minutes. (accounting for the crowds, having to stop, getting distracted, etcetera.)
For the most part, he made good progress. He only got distracted a few times, but in his defense, the tavern sign he’d passed by was really eye-catching. In a funny sort of way.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too long before he found himself standing in front of the store he’d had in mind. It was in an interesting spot for sure, directly across from one of Leln’s entry gates. Looking at it again, Taka had to wonder why it had caught his eye to begin with. It was a very plain and simple building, with a sign reading “Earlbarx’s Adventuring Goods” nailed inches above the doorframe.
“Hmm…” He quietly hummed to himself, before…
“Ah.”
He remembered now. It was because that man had come here, almost immediately after getting off the carriage. That guy seemed like a very purposeful sort, in that he likely never did anything out of what was absolutely necessary.
One final thing of note to Taka was that this area felt practically deserted compared to the rest of Leln. Well, perhaps deserted was the wrong word to use. There were a few people here and there, but it paled in comparison to what he assumed could only be the hundreds, if not thousands of people elsewhere.
As he stood about and entertained his mind, losing track of everything and spacing out as usual, he heard a voice. Posh and whiny, it didn’t take long for him to put a face to it. It was none other than Beriyl’s.
“Please, I implore you! I am Beriyl Edmund Ciphre von Aschwaz, I demand a discount! I am nobility, for the love of the Gods! Don’t you-”
Yep. Definitely him. Taka briefly considered turning tail and just going to grab lunch instead, but he had walked all this way, and it wasn’t like he was allergic to Beriyl, or something. At least, not that he knew of.
‘Is it even possible to be allergic to a certain person?’
Maybe he’d find out, he mused as he headed up the short set of stairs, sighed, and pulled open the door. The sound of a bell welcomed him inside—he froze, standing awkwardly in the doorway as it echoed shrilly throughout the room, wondering if Beriyl would turn around to insult him again.
But soon enough, the sound stopped, and the noble was still yelling and gesturing dramatically at the storekeeper, as if he’d never even heard the bell ring.
“Enough!” The storekeeper bellowed, slamming his fist on the countertop as the door creaked shut.
“Nobility or not, you’re not getting a gods damned discount! Now, if you’re buying anything, do so! If you aren’t, get the fuck out!”
The storekeeper was a stout dwarf with a fat face, which was currently colored beet red in his anger. His wispy mustache seemed similarly angry, moving dramatically as he argued with the stubborn noble.
Taka had to hold in his laughter. For some reason, it was utterly hilarious to him that Beriyl had apparently just waltzed on in and demanded a discount before even trying to buy anything.
“B- but, I’m a noble!” Beriyl’s voice wavered as if he were about to cry.
Taka found himself wondering if Beriyl’d ever been told “No,” before. Evidently not, it seemed.
‘Wonder how long these two have been at it?’
As their unending argument continued, the dwarf’s face continued to grow redder and redder, as if he were a bomb about to explode. Taka had never seen someone’s face get so red.
So this is what they meant when they described people looking like tomatoes in books.
Other than Taka, Beriyl, and the shopkeeper, there was only one other person in the store— an orange-haired catfolk who was trying his best to stay out of it. If it weren’t for his stifled laughter, Taka wouldn’t have even known he was there—he was that good at blending in.
Anyways, Beriyl was fighting a losing battle. Earlbarx had to keep his prices the same for everyone, so he could keep his business afloat. Handing out discounts based on things like noble status, or any other such nonsense was a good way to run your business into the ground.
As Taka continued to idle indecisively about a few paces from the door, the bell rung again, signifying a new arrival. An incredible presence fell over the room, rooting him in place and silencing Beriyl and the shopkeeper, the latter’s eyes wide with surprise and fear.
‘Who? Who is it? What is the shopkeeper looking at? What is this imposing aura!?’
He could feel it; Two eyes burrowing into the back of his head. A massive presence was behind him. It was terrifying, to the extent he didn’t want to turn around.
‘What the hell is this? S- some kind of monster?!’
As shockingly as the sensation came, it went. Taka almost fell to the ground in a huff of relief. The imposing form of a familiar man passed by him and stopped just behind Beriyl, who craned his neck upward with a silent look of disbelief etched plain across his face. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the man did not return his gaze.
‘By the gods, is he tall.’
Looking on with awe replacing fear, that was all Taka could think. He himself didn’t feel particularly short, standing at about five-four at fifteen years old, but with the literal tower of a man that was before him, he suddenly felt very small indeed. Even Beriyl stood a bit taller than Taka, but not by much. And then here you had this guy, who absolutely dwarfed the both of them.
There was no doubt about it; This was the same man from before, from the carriage, from the guild. He’d run into him three times now—each time, he felt more and more drawn to the man. He wasn’t sure why, but he was very curious about him.
A few moments passed in utter silence, as the tall man stared expectantly at the shopkeeper. That same shopkeeper, who moments prior had been red with rage, was now pale and trembling under his fierce gaze.
“Y- y- yes?” Earlbarx finally gave, his voice an unsteady whimper.
Beriyl’s face contorted into a look betwixt annoyance and anger. He was being ignored. Him!
Taka, still spectating, had to envision himself a solid wall—a dam, to keep from laughing. It would hold back the laughter, but for how long, he wondered?
"Arthur. Here for my sword, left it with you earlier? I’ll take two healing potions from your stock, as well."
‘Arthur, huh?’ Taka finally had a face for- uh, a name for the face.
“T- take? I- I won’t be strongarmed into-“
Arthur sighed heavily.
“I’m not strongarming you. I’ll pay.”
"O- Oh, of c- course!" The man quickly bent over and grabbed something, straightening back up and placing two corked thin vials filled with a red liquid onto the counter with a glassy tonk.
Arthur glared at the dwarf expectantly.
“And my blade?”
Earlbarx shivered at the intensity of his tone—flinching as Arthur reached out for the vials and tied them to his belt. The dwarf did not reply, and so Arthur fixed his stoic gaze upon him once more. His tone almost accusatory, he asked again.
“Where is my sword?”
"Uh-h-h-h, r- right, j- just a moment!"
Hopping off his stepping stool, the shopkeeper briskly disappeared into the back of the store. Moments later, he re-emerged, awkwardly clutching a longsword tight to his chest. It was almost comical—since he was a dwarf, the blade of the longsword alone was longer than he was tall, which meant he had to hold it in a certain way to keep it balanced and prevent the end of the sword from scraping against the ground. The end result was an oddly amusing waddle of a walk.
"S- sharpened and oiled as you asked,"
Clambering clumsily atop his stool and looking as if he had suddenly grown in height, the dwarf appeared behind the counter and laid the sword carefully down. It seemed he’d gained some confidence, as he began talking with less stutters.
"Tried to do what I could for the scabbard but it's a bit rough. Might I suggest-"
"No."
Not letting him finish, Arthur gruffly shut him down, completely shattering the dwarf's newfound confidence.
"R- right," The dwarf quickly patted the scabbard and then retreated from his stool like a guard abandoning his post, staring warily up at Arthur as if he were some sort of wild beast that’d attack at any moment.
"Any- uh,” He gulped. “A- anything e- else?"
When Arthur turned and walked off to another part of the store without a word, Earlbarx visibly relaxed, letting a sigh of relief escape him.
With him gone, that just left the matter of Beriyl—who was currently stunned into utter disbelief. His mouth agape, he made strange sounds resembling what Taka could only assume was meant to mimic those of a dying fish.
“Pfft….”
Uh oh. The imagined dam was breaking. First, his immature temper tantrum, and now this… It was simply too much. Taka bent over, the dam collapsed, and uncontrollable laughter flooded out.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
“Y- you…!” Beriyl cried, his voice shaking as he spun around and thrust an accusatory finger toward Taka, who was currently hunched over and practically in tears.
Laughter! And at his expense, no less! How dare he?! The half-elf’s slender face was red with embarrassment, although Beriyl would have insisted it was rage, and his whole body was beset by tremors.
“How… how dare you!”
Taka’s laughter subsided, and he straightened up, taking a few deep breaths to make his stomach stop hurting faster.
“S- sorry, um… heh-“
Taka’d intended to actually apologize, he hadn’t meant to make anyone upset. He knew he shouldn’t be laughing, but his brain didn’t care; Before long, he found himself thrown into another fit of laughter. The idea of Beriyl as a fish was too ridiculous for Taka to handle. This posh, bratty noble, as a fish!
By now, the only other customer— the orange-haired catfolk — was starting to become visibly irritated. He had just wanted to come in and get something, but as he was very sensitive to sound, every time someone started shouting he had to cover his ears, which meant he couldn’t do much at all. And there had been a lot of shouting since that noble had entered the store.
Suddenly, Beriyl stomped the floor repeatedly with his foot.
“Okay, that’s it!” He cried.
“I’m leaving, I don’t need anything anyway! I am Beriyl Edmund Ciphre von Aschwaz, I will not be treated like this! Goodbye!”
With that, the half-elf aggressively flung the door open and fled into the town. The door slowly began to close on its own, and eventually did with a clack.
With Beriyl gone, the shopkeeper dwarf heaved another relieved sigh, the catfolk grumbled to himself, and Arthur remained silent, glaring darkly at a length of rope. Taka stood in place, feeling more than a little guilty. It hadn’t even been that funny. Why did his brain do this to him?
‘Well, uh… I guess I can start shopping now.’
But as he tried to decide which part of the store to check out first, he realized something; what did he need, to begin with? What did he even want? Looking down at himself, he ran over what he currently had, touching them as he went along. Two daggers, his bow, twelve arrows. He had some empty pouches on his belt, and his coinpurse was attached to the back. He had a simple leather waterskin stashed away, too. Taka’s hands stopped just short of his coinpurse, then he shifted his position and crossed his arms. Oddly, his belt felt a little lighter than usual, but for the moment, he didn’t think much of it.
“Well,” He mumbled to himself. “Guess we could look at swords, and then grab a potion or two, like that Arthur guy did, uh… maybe if they have chainmail or something, and…”
Having decided, Taka wandered around, idly picking up swords and pieces of armor. Nothing felt right--, but what did “right” even feel like? He was completely lost. What if he chose the wrong things? What if there was-
“That sword is too long for you.”
Taka was thrust from his thoughts as a familiar voice shook its way through his skull. Blinking, he found himself looking at a weary-faced man—Arthur.
“Whoa!”
The longsword he’d apparently picked up while meandering about wobbled dangerously to the side, threatening to fall. Arthur stopped it with a hand.
“A shorter blade would be better for you.” He repeated, taking the sword from Taka’s unsteady grasp. His focus was on it, but he was undoubtedly speaking to him.
“Shorter swords are better for people unused to them,” He continued. “It is easier to learn to wield a shortsword than a longsword. Longswords can get caught in tight places that a shorter sword won’t.”
Now, he was just rambling, but Taka felt that it made sense. Sort of. Maybe. Some of it had to be right, right? Maybe?
“Oh… uh, right,” He began, scratching his head.
“Um, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. The longsword thing. Sorry. That’s my bad.”
Arthur shook his head.
“No,” he said. “There’s no problem.”
Taka peered down at Arthur’s side and spotted his longsword.
‘Ah right. He just had that repaired or whatever, didn’t he? That’s why he was here. And I guess that explains why he came in here earlier, too.’
So, Arthur was either an experienced swordsman, or a hypocrite. Taka wasn’t sure which, but the man certainly looked like he’d seen something. The scar crawling from his chin up his lower-right cheek, gave him some credence, too…
Maybe his advice was- well, wait, what if he had just cut the scar into his face himself? No, that didn’t make sense. He didn’t seem like the type. Then again, Taka didn’t know him at all, so-
“Are you alright?” Arthur tore him from the web of his thoughts once more, as he stared at Taka, who happened to be staring at him.
Taka blinked. “Uh, yes. Sorry, I got distracted.”
“Get a shortsword. From what I’ve heard, most low-ranking monster jobs take place in enclosed spaces. We’ll be able to take those starting at D-Rank. And…”
‘We’ll? Also, who refers to their rank as the letter grade? Just say Clay, or whatever. But isn’t D-Rank called Bronze? Or was it Copper? …this is confusing.’
“…you don’t want it catching on a wall.”
Uh oh, he’d spaced out again. What was Arthur talking about? Was it swords still?
His brow furrowed in confusion, Taka glanced up at the man as he continued to repeat himself in different ways, until a new thought entered his head.
What if they partied up and took a few jobs together? Taka would certainly feel safer with this man around. He at least seemed to know what he was doing. Definitely had the air of someone experienced, anyway.
"Healing potions. Two. Always have those on you. Even the cheap ones can make a difference—though those won’t close a wound, they’ll stop you from bleeding to death. Make sure you get an adventurer's kit, the torches and rope included should prove especially useful."
"...okay."
Taka nodded, but he wasn’t sure he understood. It was a lot to process all at once. Swords, potions, be careful of your sword catching on a wall, torches, ranks…. He almost wanted to scream.
For a brief moment, Arthur simply studied Taka, looking him up and down. It made him uncomfortable.
“Uh…” He began, meaning to ask why Arthur was staring so intensely at him.
"Chainmail.” The man said with a snap of his fingers, before Taka had a chance to even ask.
“Wh- what?”
“You should invest in light mail armor. Something you can put under your top.”
“…like what?”
“Light chainmail. Mythril works best, if you can find it.”
Taka tilted his head. “Uh, right…”
‘I don’t really want to wear armor, though…’
Finally, Arthur nodded, satisfied that he’d done all he could.
“Right. Good luck, then. Fare you well.”
Then, he turned around and began to make his way toward the exit. Taka noticed an open-faced helmet dangling from his bag, which clattered and swayed as he moved. Had he purchased that helmet here? To be fair, Taka couldn’t expect himself to notice everything. He was perceptive, not all-knowing. In fact, there had been plenty of times in the last twenty minutes alone where he hadn’t noticed something because he wasn’t paying attention, so…
His thoughts were suddenly disrupted by the shrill chime of the greeting bell. Looking up, he realized Arthur was moments from leaving, his tall frame silhouetted by the bright light let in from the now open door.
He thrust out his hand.
“W- wait!”
For some reason, he felt as if the man left, he'd never seen him again. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much, but he had to…!
Arthur stopped in his tracks.
"Yes?"
Taka froze up. He didn’t have anything to say, but he didn’t want him to leave. He couldn’t exactly just tell this perfect stranger; “Hey, don’t leave me, please! Stay here, because of some random feeling I have!”
So instead of saying something, he just shook his head with a shaky breath, and stammered;
“Uh, it’s- it’s nothing. Sorry, thank you for uh, the help.”
An incredibly awkward farewell which left Taka fidgeting anxiously until Arthur smiled, nodded at him, and then was out the door. When the door finally shut, he heaved a stressed sigh.
‘Alright. Okay. Calm down. Sword, shortsword, all that stuff, right? Chainmail, if I can find it and, obviously, afford it… Then there’s potions, an adventurer’s kit, and, uh….’
His racing mind ground to a halt as his hands grasped at thin air where something should have been. An intense wave of despair washed over him as his heart plummeted into his stomach.
“No... Oh no.”
His coinpurse was gone.