Seth woke his eyes springing open with excitement as he tumbled out of bed. He looked at the sun outside of his window and he thought it might be a little higher than he might have hoped realizing he was already running a little late. He flopped out of bed and quickly began pulling his clothes from the dresser spilling garments in haste and pulling them onto his body. He looked to the rack beside his front door and panicked seeing it empty. “Where the hell are my shoes!?” He looked to the sides of his bed and then beneath his desk. In a moment of inspiration, he sprawled to the ground after having looked in the closet and any other place he might have thrown them off the night before. His smile spread ear to ear as his hands snaked beneath the mattress frame and felt around in the shadows underneath it. His hand bumped into one and then felt relief wash over him as he found the other.

He couldn't wait, his hands shook as he tugged the missing shoes onto his feet and tied them into place. He felt like his whole life had been building up to this moment and he could feel it getting ready to give way like a dam ready to burst. He just knew that the next big step in his life was at his fingertips. He jogged out of his room towards the front door looking to see his mother getting ready for the morning.

She was quietly drinking a cup of tea at the kitchen table. “Mom!” he said excitedly as he quickly headed towards the table. “Do you have it?” His father had promised him some money to start his adventuring career and had told him that it would be left with his mother in the morning. He practically vibrated with impatience and energy. A soft smile spread his mother's lips as she slowly lifted the tea to her lips and drank. Her eyes met his and the edges of them crinkled with her mischief.

“D-D-Do I have wh-what?” she said trying to act oblivious to the boy who was practically vibrating. Seth frowned in agitation and was about to say something.

Without removing the tea from her lips she used her free hand and lifted the small plate the tea had been resting on moments earlier, uncovering a small envelope. Quietly she slid it across the table. Seth snatched the envelope “Thanks Mom, love you.” He yelled as he sprinted for the door.

“B-Be c-careful” his mother stammered at him as he was leaving but Seth was already out the door. He jogged down the street while he counted his funds. The money was about a month of his dad's wages as an alchemist's assistant and knew that his parents had made sacrifices to provide the sum for his future. He deeply appreciated the gesture and for a moment sentimentality washed across him but he quickly brushed the feeling away. As he approached the guild hall he could see his best friend Jason was already there waiting.

Guildhall was a bit of a stretch for the small wooden building, it had worn sides that were worse from the weather of several years. That being said it was at least clean and the path in front of it had been meticulously swept clean. He had been here several times with his Dad to drop off packages and he knew that it housed not only the administrator for the guild but also the post service for Farmers rest.

“So you're going through with it then?” Jason's voice was deeper than Seth's and he stood several inches taller with dark brown skin that seemed to drink in the sun. He grinned and Seth couldn't help but think it made him look smug. “Yeah, of course,” Seth retorted “someone has to keep you out of trouble.” The boys had been friends since grade school and had formed the sort of friendship based on a rivalry that only small boys and young men can really foster. Jason's grin widened to include his teeth “and this idiot notion of you flinging fireballs and becoming some sort of badass master magus?” he chided. Seth's grin turned down into a grimace and he muttered under his breath as he pushed the door open “better badass than just an ass.”

The inside of the building was much better maintained than the outside. The floors were clean and sanded and while the entrance was fairly narrow to keep traffic to a minimum to the left there was a hallway that opened into a much wider gathering room. He could just see into the room and spotted several small round tables that were stained in a rich red wood finish. Each of the tables sported four stools around it and for a brief moment, Seth tried to picture himself sitting around the table, chatting to his future party members not able to picture much more than an idea of them but sure that Jason would be occupying one of those spots.

He approached the counter on the left and examined the man behind it. He wasn't a man he realized almost immediately or at least not a human man. The elves softly pointed ears gave away his truth with just a glance, they weren't as long as he thought they would be but they were pointed. The way he swept his blonde almost snow-colored hair over them displayed them prominently and made them hard to miss. The elf was about Seth's height and appeared to be quickly approaching middle age as the edges of his hair had just hints of gray and he had fine lines at the corner of his eyes. His frame was rail thin and the veins in his hands showed their blue blood through his pale willowy skin as they rested on the counter. He smiled warmly at the boys as he spoke.

“Good morning boys what can I do for you?” suddenly Seth felt anxious as he spoke jitters from what, in his mind, was the ending of an age.

“We're here to join the adventures guild Sir'' He stood respectfully at a distance from the desk trying to hide the shaking in his voice that was still very noticeable.

The man chuckled softly under his breath amusement clear on his face. “Fantastic!” He said his smile spreading even wider. He reached beneath the counter with practiced hands and pulled a piece of yellow parchment from below it placing it on the counter. “And you?” His eyes passed from Seth to Jason.

Meeting his gaze Jason stepped forward boldly “Me too please” he said sounding confident.

Still smiling the man replied “Wonderful, wonderful” he quickly pulled another form from beneath the counter placing it next to the first. “Please step forward, step forward” the man energetically waved Jason to stand beside Seth while he addressed them both. He looked back and forth between the boys as he spoke to them both warmly but also very professionally. “So Gentlemen this is how it works, first our fee is five gold for the month and after that, it will be ten percent of your contract fees or five gold whichever is more moving forward. Do you boys know how this works?” He looked down at the documents on the counter and then back at the boys Jason nodded silently but Seth looked unsure.

“Kind of? But not really.” Seth confessed.

“No problem at all my boy” the man's smile seemed downright infectious and in all honesty, this was his favorite part of his job talking to young people and giving them direction. He was very familiar with what the boys were getting into becoming adventures and knew that it wasn't for everyone and he wanted to make sure the youngsters knew what they were doing. Ithil had been at this for a long, long time.

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“So you pay the first fee up front and then sign these letters of intent, after that I'll send them off to the main branch for processing. They'll do a background check to make sure there's nothing in your past that we need to be aware of but being the clean-cut young men that you appear to be I doubt that will be an issue.” Seth and Jason hesitated but then eased at his comment. Neither had considered the fact there would be a background check but doubted it would be an issue. “After that, we'll bring you to the back later this afternoon for a physical and to open your souls.”

Seth cut in, surprised by the unfamiliar term slight worry on his face. “Excuse me?”

The man stopped and looked at him concerned by Seth's apparent anxiety but still radiating friendliness “Yes?” he replied looking for Seth to clarify. Jason spoke up “I think he means what do you mean by opening our souls?” Jason also seemed concerned by the phrase. “Oh!” he laughed openly a full wonderful laugh “I assure you it's not as bad as it sounds, Tell me, Mister, eh I don't think I caught your name yet” He motioned towards Seth

“It's Seth and yours?” Seth said.

The man looked puzzled “I didn't tell you?” He laughed again “I suppose I didn't my name's Ithil it's great to meet you, and you?”

He looked at Jason “It's Jason sir,” Jason said.

Ithil picked up where he left off “It's good to meet you too Jason, as I was saying Seth what is it you want to do as an adventurer a class I mean”

Seth looked puzzled “I'm not sure what you mean.”

Ithil shook his head smile ever-present “ A class son, how do you want to do the business of adventuring? You know swing a sword, channel arcane magics, call upon ancient eldritch powers” Ithil's voice was slightly mocking now but it was clear he was in good spirits and having a bit of fun at the young men's expense.

Jason stepped forward that grin plastered across his face again “He wants to throw fireballs” his voice was mocking and the snicker he was holding back was obvious on his visage.

To Jason's consternation, this only seemed to excite Ithil “Good! Good!” The man looked excited by the revelation “So you want to throw fireballs opening your soul to the outside world is how you do that. Keep in mind opening isn't exactly what we're doing but it's the easiest way to explain it. By opening your soul were giving your soul the ability to manifest your will on the physical plane. Whether it's throwing fireballs, empowering your weapon, or performing one of the other millions of things only adventures seemed to be able to do. The opening is simply the process we call it when we give your soul that channel into the world.”

Seth still

looked at him with trepidation “Will it hurt?”

Ithil's smile faded as looked Seth in the eyes. “Yes, unfortunately” he paused for a moment to gauge the boy's reaction but only for a moment. “But the important thing to remember is it won't permanently harm you and it's unavoidable for this line of work. You'll be sick for about a week and you'll feel like garbage as your soul purifies itself and all those impurities are forced out of your body. We'll do it here in the ceremony chamber below. Afterward, we'll watch over you and monitor you as you go through the process.”

Jason looked around the building briefly and didn't see anyone besides Ithil and the package clerk at the next counter. “We?” he said questioningly.

Ithil looked confused but then quickly realized what he meant “By we I mean my apprentice and me. He's not here right now but will be in a couple of hours. He's running an errand for me, His name is Gale have either of you met him?” Both boys looked at each other and then shook their heads no. “Well, I suppose it's not much of a surprise. He lived up at the monastery until recently as one of the orphans. He apprenticed under me about two weeks back and has already undergone the process so he'll be ready to go when you boys are.” Seth and Jason looked at each other confused.

“I suppose you wouldn't know that yet. After you boys sign up and you undergo the opening ceremony, you'll enter under a formal apprenticeship or what we call in the profession the I rank. Adventures are split into classes, the higher class, the better paying or more dangerous contracts you're able to take. Ranks are generally F through AAA. We try to prepare you as well as we're able but I must admit we have people die in every rank. I rank is special in that it's the introductory rank or I for short. In the I rank you have a mentor, in your case, it will be me who goes with you so we don't lose promising you young adventures early in your career”

Jason spoke up “Is that normally an issue?”

Ithil tried to hide the humor in his voice “It used to be an issue. That's why we now have an I rank. But nowadays with mentoring, the training programs, and the other benefits we provide our recruits, it's almost unheard of.”

Seth nervously fingered the envelope that his Mom had given him and started doing some math in his head, he still had gear to buy and now he had to pay for training and the room while he recovered from the soul-opening ceremony he wasn't sure he would have enough money. “How much do the mentorship and training cost?' again he was feeling anxious.

“Cost?” Ithil's voice was questioning “I think you misunderstand, the mentorship and basic training are included in the membership fees, as is the room you'll be staying in while you recover its part of the benefits I mentioned. Basic training is covered, you'll also find that there are discounts on advanced training many of our professional members offer. You'll also enjoy discounts at guild vendors and the guild also often provides places to lodge for free or at a significant discount as you travel in the course of your career.

To be fair a lot of those will be in the guild house itself or the local soldier's barracks if there not in use at the time. The costs are offset by our high-ranking members in a lot of cases since they understand the value of bringing in new blood to the guild.

Ithil paused to take in the countenance of the two boys with an appraising eye. They both stood there contemplative which he took as a good sign. At least they seemed to be taking the information in. Too often young men and women came through his door and tried to sign up without ever asking about how they might fit into the bigger world. He had made it his mission to make sure as little of that type of thing happened, but more than once throughout the years he had failed to fully inform them and it had ended up costing them their lives. He looked first at the taller boy and then the shorter one that had come in first. “So what say you Seth still eager to join?”

Seth smiled an oddly disarming smile and stepped forward “Absolutely Sir.” Jason stepped up behind him determination in his eyes “Me too” his voice was firm and carried a certain gravity to it.

“Well, then boys welcome to the guild.”