As I walked into the Meralt Guild Hall, I made sure my cloak was securely fastened and my hood covered part of my face. My cousin Kari told me that adventurers were fearsome and ruthless and that some could do magic. She told me to never say my name or look them in the eye as a way to keep myself safe against any spells they might use. I pushed those thoughts from my mind, trying to steady my racing heart. The sound of chatter cut out almost immediately as I walked in. I felt stares burning into my body as I made my way over to the main desk. 

The Guild Hall was more pleasant than I thought it would be, almost bright and cheery. There were at least two dozen adventurers scattered throughout the lobby that doubled as a tavern. Some of them smiled at me while others glowered. I swallowed hard then focused my gaze on my final destination. A dark faerie sat behind a massive mahogany desk and was cleaning her nails with a letter opener.

She barely glanced up at me when I arrived. “If you want to join the Guild, you’re gonna have to buy your own armor but we do provide you with a starter weapon.”

“I’m not here to join,” I said more confidently than I felt. “I’m looking for some help.”

The dark faerie put down the letter opener while finally looking at me and smiled brightly. She was very pretty, with long purple hair and dark skin. Her sharp, white teeth were off-putting, however, and made a small shudder go down my spine.

“What’s the job?” She asked.

“I need someone to guide me through Meralt Forest.”

As I spoke, she’d taken out a sheet of paper and a quill with ink. “An escort mission then,” she said as she wrote. “Final destination?”

“Seahaven,” I answered, tightening my cloak around myself. It felt like the stares I’d been receiving since I walked in had doubled.

“That’s a three-day journey from here.” She looked up from her sheet and gave me a skeptical look. “Not only that, but the forest isn’t a cakewalk. You’ll have to post up a nice pay-out to get someone to accept. Are you going to need an escort back?”

I hadn’t even thought about needing an escort to lead me back. I gripped the small bag of gold hanging from my belt. “How much do you think I’ll need for someone to guide me there and back?”

The faerie studied me intently for a moment, then she leaned back in her chair. “I’d say at least two-hundred gold,” she answered. “Even then, that might be too low.”

I untied the small bag from my belt loop and dropped it on the desk with a smile. “How’s four-hundred?”

She looked at the bag curiously. “We don’t take stolen money here, hun. Why don’t you go ask someone else?”

I frowned and pulled off my hood. “I didn’t steal it. I earned it, fair and square. I worked hard for it. My farm was the only one that yielded crops this past harvest.”

The faerie raised an eyebrow and reached for the bag. She spilled out its contents and counted each coin out carefully. The tavern was suddenly so silent, I could hear the patrons breathing. After she finished counting, the faerie looked up at me again, this time with a wider smile than before. I could’ve sworn the tips of her canines were stained with blood. There was no doubt in my mind that, if she wanted to, she could rend the flesh from my bones with her sharp talon-like nails.

“Alright hun,” she answered. “You’ve got a deal.” She looked behind me, nodding for me to do the same. “Seems like you’ve got everyone else’s attention too.”

I scanned the Guild Hall to find all it’s patron’s eyes on me. As soon as my gaze met someone else’s, they looked away. It was clear everyone had been listening to my conversation with the faerie very intently. I wondered if the Guild was starved for work. 

The faerie’s incessant scribbling made me turn my head and focus back on her. “So you’re in need of a round-trip escort for Seahaven through Meralt Forest and you’re posting four-hundred gold for the job. Did I get that right?”

“And I need to get there by next week Sunday,” I added.

“A rush job,” she added in her notes. “Anything else?”

I shook my head and tried to ignore the stares in my direction. The faerie finished writing on an official-looking sheet, then she wrote me up a receipt and handed it to me. 

“There you go,” she continued. “I’ll post your job on the board as soon as we’re done here. Once there’s a taker, I’ll send them your way.” 

The faerie smiled while looking past me again. I followed her gaze, noticing a group of adventurers already queuing up near the job board. 

“Seems to me you won’t be waiting long.” She rummaged through the drawers in her desk until she found what she was looking for. Placing a small bronze token on the desktop, she gave me another smile. “Why don’t you go wait at the tavern? That’s a free drink token. Make sure you order the hard cider, it’s to die for.”

I slid the token toward me and studied it. Emblazoned on both sides was a busty looking elf winking at me. I rolled my eyes and placed it in my pocket. “Thanks for all your help uh...I didn’t’ catch your name.”

“Aria,” she answered. “Now get going.”

I left the desk and to an empty table near the furthest corner of the tavern. As soon as I sat down, the dark faerie flitted over on gossamer wings to the job board and posted up my job sheet. I watched as Guild Members pushed past each other to get a look at the sheet. The sight made me chuckle. 

Beside me, a small puff of purple glitter turned into another dark faerie, this one male. I jumped in my seat, startled by his sudden appearance. He scowled down at me and tapped his foot on the wooden floor with impatience.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Uh.” I stood from my chair and fumbled with my pockets, finally fishing out the token Aria had given me. “I’d like a hard cider please?”

He took the drink token with an even deeper scowl and poofed out of existence. Almost immediately, another puff signaled his presence and he dropped the pint of cider on the table. I thanked him and his scowl lessened a bit, then he disappeared again. 

“Calm down everyone!” I heard Aria shout. “The job is for only one escort.”

“Looks like you’ve caused quite a stir,” a voice said right into my ear.

Again I was startled, and this time I’d been in the middle of drinking my cider. Harsh coughs rattled in my chest as I tried to breathe. A large hand pounded my back a few times until a hot spurt of cider left my lips. I coughed some more and then I could finally breathe again. 

“Are you okay?” The voice asked.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “Y-yeah, fine. You just startled me.”

A hulking man in leather armor bowed before me. “My apologies, miss.”

I wasn’t too knowledgeable when it came to adventurers, but I could tell he was a ranger by the way he was dressed. He wore a black fabric mask that covered his mouth and nose. He was also massive, bigger than a human. The man was easily seven feet tall when he straightened up from his deep bow. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The most striking thing about him, however, was his two-toned eyes. One blue and one green. I immediately lowered my gaze to the table, hoping he hadn’t seen my soul and stolen my secrets.

“It’s ah, no trouble. Don’t worry about it.” He could easily split me in half if he wanted to. The man was terrifying.

He took a seat at the table, making it look comically small. “Are you the one offering the job?”

I looked at the fray unfolding before the job board. “It’s just a simple escort mission. I didn’t think it would cause so much trouble.”

The man signaled the waiter to bring him a pint of his own. “Folks around here have been looking for work ever since that rumor started up a few months ago.”

So I’d been right. “What rumor?”

“That all adventurers are murderers or evil magicians after human essence,” he answered, scoffing. The dark faerie from before plopped down a massive tankard of ale before the man. He tossed a gold coin at the faerie who caught it with a manic grin. “Leave it to someone to ruin it for the rest of us.”

I didn’t dare look at his face, instead, I kept my eyes trained on a spot on his chest. “It must be hard.”

A chuckle made his shoulders shake. “It has been.” He leaned forward in his seat. “Even now. You won’t even look at me.”

I felt my cheeks burn with shame but I still didn’t look. Instead, I remained silent.

“What’s the job?” He asked after taking a swig from his tankard.

“I need someone to take me to Seahaven for my cousin’s wedding,” I answered, taking a drink of my own. “I offered four-hundred gold round-trip.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him nod a couple of times as he mulled over what I’d said. He then tipped his tankard to his lips and finished its contents in one gulp. Letting out a satisfied sigh and wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he stood from the table. 

“I’ll take you,” he said, eyes crinkling. It was as if he were smiling behind his mask.

I felt my eyebrows crinkle in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll take you to Seahaven and bring you back,” he explained. “Do we have a deal?”

I didn’t know what to say. I glanced over at Aria who was still struggling to contain the stampede of adventurers arguing over the job. Sensing my hesitation, the man grabbed my upper arm and pulled me up out of my seat. I gurgled with concern as he dragged me back to Aria’s desk.

“I’m taking the job,” he rumbled over the din.

At his proclamation, protests of dissents rippled across the crowd. I was pushed and shoved in all directions but the man’s iron grip never slackened. I was sure that I’d find a nasty bruise on my arm the next day. I was able to see Aria’s frazzled expression between the bulky bodies around me. The noise in the Hall was starting to become overwhelming and I almost screamed for everyone to shut up. Instead, I wrenched myself from the man’s grasp, planted my feet, squared my shoulders, and gave out a shrill whistle. All the sound came to a stop instantly and once again, a dozen pair of eyeballs were back on me. 

“I’m taking the job, Aria,” the man repeated. “We have an agreement.” He looked over at me and pushed me forward toward her desk.

When I didn’t say anything he gave me a soft nudge with his elbow. Taking the hint, I spoke. “Right. I asked him to take the job.”

Aria’s eyes studied us both, her eyes flitting back and forth between us. They finally landed on the man and a scowl formed on her lips. “Fine.”

Sighs of annoyance and grumbles swirled around us as the crowd dissipated. Soon enough, only the man and I were left standing at Aria’s desk. The man took a slip of paper out of Aria’s grasp and dipped her quill in a pot of ink. He signed his name at the bottom of the contract, then handed me the quill when he was done. I read his name. Kristjan Johannesson. I signed my name beneath his and set the paper back on Aria’s desk.

Her eyes scanned the page for a few seconds before she stamped it with a wax seal and filed it away. “You’ll get the money when you get back, as usual.”

Again, Kristjan looked down at me. I felt my fingers go numb as they often did when I was nervous. “Can you pay him half now?”

The crinkle around Kristjan’s two-toned eyes told me he was smiling beneath his mask. I looked away again, my face flushing in embarrassment. 

“You’re the boss, hun,” Aria answered, shaking her head. 

She divided out the money and handed him a small sack of coins. Kristjan tied the bag to his belt and straightened up again. “When’s the wedding?” He asked.

“Next Sunday,” I answered. 

“We leave tomorrow then,” he said. “Plenty of time to get you there. Meet here at dawn. No later.”

His demeanor had changed slightly. He’d seemed almost kind, but now he acted aloof. My shoulders dropped as I realized that he’d just wanted the job and swindled me into giving it to him. I felt annoyed and stupid. I turned to leave when his massive hand gripped my shoulder and forced me to face him again.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said. I noticed his eyes crinkled again.

I looked down at my boots and shrugged, trying to think of what to say to him. Should I give him a fake name? Should I just tell him my real one? I thought back to our conversation before. He’d said that not all adventurers were murderers and evil sorcerers. Then again, he’d basically forced me into giving him the job. 

“Forget about it,” he said when I’d taken too long. “Remember: meet here at dawn.”

With that, he walked away, leaving me feeling utterly perplexed and slightly pissed off.