Three days pass us by in a flash. It is in the late afternoon that we crest a hill, bringing Aresmouth in sight.
Aresmouth is a typical Adventurer outpost turned city, square in the boonies where monsters and dungeons have the run of the place, and its architecture reflects that, being purely utilitarian, with sturdy, gray walls of rough stone. The walls are enchanted to high heavens to ward off beasts and siege, although the chance of a siege occurring here in the south was abysmal, considering the frontier status of the region when compared to the rest of the Kingdom. Nevertheless, the enchantments were deemed necessary when the city was constructed, and although most dangerous and higher tiered beasts were since driven from these lands, the sheer amount of power radiating from those walls has not diminished.
My essence sensing is fundamental, considering I have never been blessed with a Skill for it, but even so, approaching the city from the outside almost feels like entering a furnace, the heat and pressure getting harder and harder to bear. It is deemed a necessary evil in the outskirts, and we have endured the approach more than a few times by now, so by the time we arrive in front of the gate, all of us are still in fine shape.
“Open up, you lazy sods! It’s my daughter and the crew!” a familiar voice calls out from up above, before the gate swings open before us.
Stepping through, the pressure of the enchantments vanishes so suddenly, if I had not experienced it before I would have tripped and fallen over. In fact, I did just this the first time, I am pained to recall.
Hurrying forward, we get out of the way of a pair of grumpy guards, resealing the east gate behind us, lovingly dubbed the adventure gate by the locals.
While we take a moment to catch our breath, the owner of the voice from before hops down the wall, landing in front of us with a tremor as a veritable ton of metal and muscle meet pavement, and the pavement gives way, ever so slightly.
“You guys are back! How'd the trip go?” Wall Sergeant Flynn Thorekson greeted us with his signature smirk. Standing at a towering height of just about 4 meters, clad in blackened, spiky platemail, and with a face covered in scars, the man would look at home just fine in a necromancer's citadel. His bright red, wild hair might be a dash much color for such a setting, but overall it only increased his apparent ferocity. The tabard displaying the eagle signet of Aresmouth was the only thing to set the man apart from the average Death Knight.
“It went fine, Sergeant Thorekson.” Simon began, before being cut off by Astrid.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“We just fought some goblins n’ stuff, Da’. Found a neat cave too. Gotta get to HQ tho, so I’ll tell ya everything at dinner!” she exclaimed while grabbing all of us and forcefully shoving past her father’s intimidating presence.
“Righty’o, love you dear! And tell your mother I love her, too!”, the man instantly ruined the image he exuded by waving excitedly after his increasingly embarrassed daughter, much to the amusement of most of the passersby and guards on duty.
Despite the status as a city, Aresmouth did not have too many permanent residents, just a few hundred, being used as a training hub for Adventurers and Guards both, so during down seasons like now the city was mostly deserted, and everyone seemed to know everyone else.
Simon and Astrid, our two locals, greeted most of the people we brushed past, Astrid's face having recovered from its near tomato coloration. At least this time, he didn’t pick her up and spin her around wildly, I suppose. The first time I met the man I very nearly ruined my undergarments, but with every encounter he exposed himself more and more as a gentle giant.
The fact that all of us were adults in our twenties didn't seem to deter most people in this crazy place from treating us like children, to the point that we were all expected at family dinner at Astrid's parents'. It had baffled me initially but the reasoning was simple: the community was largely made up of retired tier 3 adventurers, so to them, we simply were children. We were not the only ones who had to suffer this treatment, thankfully, but it still stung a little every time.
Despite indulging all these stray thoughts, we finally arrive at Adventurers Guild HQ, finding the main hall more or less deserted. Making our way up to the counter past the posting boards and sitting area, we are greeted by a brightly smiling short woman looking up from paperwork behind the counter. Her dark hair is pulled up in a professional looking ponytail, and her uniform is spotless.
"Simon Darling! And Astrid honey! it is so good to see you again! How was your trip?"
“We accomplished all our goals, Miss Sindra. We do have some things to report, however.”
“Well, Guild Master Thorekson is more than happy to receive you. We got word of your return as soon as you stepped through the gates,” Miss Sindra explains with a genuine smile, and indicates a staircase in the large hall. “You kids know the way!”
Making our way up the stairs and through the familiar hallways, we settle into a companionable silence.
Soon enough we arrive at the wooden double doors adorned by a simple sign labeled “Guild Master”. Simon knocks and after a short wait we receive the customary “Come in.”
Entering the small office, we are finally faced with the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild of Aresmouth.
“Well, I’m told you have something to report? Out with it then. And tell me everything.”