As we stopped by the imperial gates I realized that this capital city was a lot bigger from the ground than from the sky. I mean I did get a scope of how massive the place would be from the descent, but it didn’t really occur to me until now. After Remi paid the carriage driver for the trip, we were questioned by the guards near the gate.
“Identify yourselves, please,” a guard commanded.
He looks like he had recently been in a fight with someone or at least had rolled around in the mud or something.
“I’m Remi, I’m part of the adventurer’s guild in the city, and this is Will who is a new recruit to the adventurer’s guild,” answered Remi, while showing the guard a badge with an insignia of a dragon and some kind of identification card.
“Hey, don’t just go deciding things for me like that,” I say as the guard inspects the badge.
“It’s fine becoming part of the adventurer’s guild will allow you to enter or exit the city at will and comes with a variety of other perks like discounts at most shops within the city, plus higher ranked adventurers are extremely respected in society,” Remi states. “You’re practically one already after having helped kill that death mantis earlier. So it wouldn’t really be that much of a bother to you, right?”
I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with the adventurers’ guild—especially if it would make my life easier. The guard finishes his inspection and gives us the all clear to enter the city.
Before we go, the guard gives us a warning,
“Also before you go to the guild try not to enter through the lower plaza, some fool earlier made a huge mess that we’re still trying to clean up now. I swear some foreigners have no respect for the people.”
Foreigners huh, I wonder what he meant by that.
As we make our way through the side streets of the bustling city we spot a few guards assisting several merchants near the lower plaza making repairs and cleaning up a lot of broken merchandise. Passing by them we come up to a large stone building that has the symbol of the dragon that Remi showed the guard earlier.
“Ok, here we are, the one and only adventurers’ guild in the capital. Officially known as Dragon’s Descent, as the creator of the guild had once tamed the legendary red dragon that used to live atop the mountain where the castle stands now,” Remi explains.
Red dragon huh, I seem to recall meeting one on the fall here though it didn’t take kindly to my presence. Entering the guild I witnessed a rather energetic scene of adventurers; two rather large men were having a fistfight in the center of the room surrounded by other people cheering them on.
“Yeah yeah hit em’, dodge and strike with all your might!” roared a large burly man with a mustache and a beer mug in his right hand.
The large man spots Remi and I as we walk through the front door and comes to greet us. The burly man proclaims,
“Ah, the young lass returns at last. Congratulations on successfully returning from your first quest as an adventurer! Many of us thought you wouldn’t return.”
“Oho, first quest,” I say smugly as I stare at Remi.
“Shut up, Will,” she retorts.
She shifts her attention back to the burly man, “Anyways, Armstrong, I’ve shown that I’m fully capable of handling expert level quests even as a beginner. So, I should be adequately promoted, right?”
“Yes yes, we’ll see about that when it comes time to take assessment tests in 2 months,” he replies. “Also, who is this young man that you’ve brought back with you?”
“I’m Will, I fell from the sky yesterday after the magical quake. I’m headed to the castle to see if I can find my friend,” I reply.
“So you’re the one the lords tried to summon earlier. Well, as you heard, I’m Armstrong—the guild leader of Dragon’s Descent, I do hope we can become more acquainted in the future,” he says as he walks away to continue watching the fight.
After meeting the guild leader, Remi reports to a girl at the guild office that she had successfully completed her task, although we still need to head up to the castle to talk to the lord who set the bounty for the reward. I also end up registering myself as part of the adventurers’ guild.
The guild girl proceeds to ask me,
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“Would you like to take a test to find out which war class you belong to?”
“What is a war class?” I ask.
The guild girl responds,
“Ah, a war class is a sort of special attribute that essentially reflects what your best role in a war is. Most people are born into one of the seven war classes. These include: Swordsmen, Archer, Tamer, Thief, Magician, Monk and Lancer. Each of these war classes are usually the result of a reading into a person's aura and are determined at birth.”
“Ok I guess I’ll take it now as it would be useful to find out what type of abilities I might develop in the future,” I say as I pull out the coin purse I looted from those dead adventurers earlier and turn in the fee.
“Where did you even get that money from?” Remi asks.
“Oh, I got it from looting dead corpses out in the wheat field we were in yesterday,” I respond.
Remi silently stares at me with a deadpan face.
The guild girl leads me to a room where I’m instructed to place my hand within a fountain of purple ink. She tells me to channel my aura and depending on the shape that the ink blot takes will determine which war class I belong in. After channeling my aura and placing my hand on a piece of parchment the purple ink ends up taking the form of a sword.
“It seems that you're a swordsman. You’ll have a much easier time learning and becoming proficient with sword related skills. Eventually you’ll end up specializing in one sword style or another, but you don’t have to decide right away,” she says after observing the result of the test.
Huh, the test was determined by my aura. Well, I guess it is accurate as I gravitated towards the sword as the first weapon I picked up.
After I registered as a member of Dragon’s Descent and took the test I was given a badge with the guild’s insignia as well as an identification card making my adventurer status official. I decided that it was time I headed for the castle atop the mountain, but I started to become fatigued at the thought of walking all the way there as this place was huge.
The guild girl explains,
“This city is interconnected by a series of portals set up by the imperial court wizard. If you know where you're going, then traveling ends up taking no time at all.”
Oh no, not fucking portals again. I swear those things have cursed me for death.
“What’s wrong?” Remi asks me as I have the look of sheer dread on my face.
“You know, I’m extremely unlucky with portals so I think we should just walk,” I respond.
“You’ve gotta be joking there’s no way this will go wrong. If you’re so scared I’ll hold your hand and we will go through together,” she mockingly tells me.
We end up going to a room in the back of the guild where a few signs and portals have been set up.
We stop right in front of the one for the castle courtyard and I tell Remi,
“If we end up teleporting somewhere we aren’t supposed to be—well, just know I told you so.”
I take a moment of respite before we go in to pray to God I don’t end up dying from this decision, although which god I’m not quite sure as my previous one had forsaken me.
“I TOLD YOU SOOOOO,” I yell as we ended up falling from 50 feet in the air. Luckily our fall was broken by a few bushes in the castle garden.
Hearing the commotion, a few guards came running with their weapons drawn. I guess we teleported to a place we weren’t supposed to, as this doesn’t seem like a warm welcome.
“Halt invaders and identify yourselves, you should know that coming into the private royal garden without permission is forbidden,” the guard shouts.
I answer the guard’s command and respectively respond,
“Yes we’re sorry we took a portal to the castle courtyard but it seemed to malfunction and we ended up here.”
“Hmm better report this incident to the imperial court mage, the portals are acting up again,” The guard says as he communicates with the other guards.
“By the way, I’m also the person who was summoned to this world by your goddess, Vienna,” I announce.
“What!? If that’s true, then we must tell the lord at once. But first you must show proof that your words are true. This is not the first time someone has tried to impersonate the hero,” the guard exclaims.
I remember the ring that I was given and show it to the guard.
“Ah yes this symbol is definitely one from the goddess and the power coming from it cannot be mistaken. Okay follow me to your room, my lord,” the guard says as he seems to revere me all of a sudden.
What’s with the sudden change of treatment? Do people really respect their heroes this much? As we walk through the castle the guard leads us to a large room that somewhat resembles a luxury suite at a five star hotel. Damn, these people do not mess around with the hero treatment.
“Please do stay here for the time being as my superiors need time to prepare.There is much to discuss but that will come tomorrow. Feel free to ask any of the servants for any assistance in the time being,” the guard tells us.
“Wait, I must ask, have there been any reports of a black foreigner that has come to the capital?” I prod. “He’s my friend and I must find him.”
The guard answers,
“Hmm well there was that one report of the fool we arrested who made a huge mess in the lower plaza. He seems to fit that description, but is currently serving time in the castle dungeon.”
Arrested? Come on. It’s only been two whole days since we got here and he’s already gotten into trouble. Part of me almost wants to laugh out loud, but the rest of me just feels pity.
“What!? On my authority as the hero of Westphalia, I demand that he be released immediately,” I say, attempting to use my newfound status.
“Y-Yes sir, but even with the authority of the hero, pardoned criminals must serve one night in the dungeons for their transgressions or a similar minor punishment. Even the lords must abide by this law,” the guard stammers.
Well this is the most I could do for him now, but at least he’ll be free by tomorrow, I hope.