“La Des is a hell of a lot different than I thought it’d be…”
Red let his thoughts wander as he traipsed through the bustling marketplace. Immediately after stumbling past a flimsy gate between the high sand walls, Red was greeted by wooden walls on both sides, and individuals barely pushing past each other to look at them. There was a large umbrella of some sort barely blocking out the oppressive sun, but even with the slightly limited visibility, Red could see the bodies pressed tightly against each other and he could hear the indistinct chatter and occasional loud noises that made him want to cover his ears.
On every corner, a vendor screamed out for the attention of passersby. They each waved around some unusual item and barked out whatever discount they had to offer.
It’d be nice if I could find a guild hall. There has to be one here.
Red continued to scan the area and ignored the cacophony of voices, growing more frustrated by the moment.
“…better than the ones in the East!”
Red snapped his head to one of the vendors, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
A heavy set bearded man locked eyes with him, “Airships! Airships galore! You interested?”
Red smirked, “I think I am.”
A smile spread across the vendor’s face, “My friend! You look like strong man, are you a leader? Our airships can hold thirty-two easily! Better than those in the East, eh?”
Red looked around for the airship, but failed to locate it, “How much for them?”
The vendor scratched his chin and puckered his lips, “They usually sell for thirteen thousand gira but for you, ten thousand gira.”
Red scratched his eyebrow, and shook his head, “Ten thousand is the discount? That is steep…but I do need it,” Red sighed deeply, “I’ll be back in about a week for one. Before I go though, can you tell me where the nearest guild hall is?”
The vendor pointed to the left, “Down this way, it will be on the right side.”
Red nodded and continued to walk for a long while, scooting past people in increasingly narrow hallways. After a while, the crowd began to break away and the hallways opened up into an expansive area on the sand with stalls scattered around.
Among these scattered stalls, one stood out. It was made of premium painted wood and was significantly bigger than the other stalls. A bored young man stood under a large lion statue that exuded a powerful aura.
Naturally drawn to it, Red walked up slowly and leaned on the counter that jutted out.
“Is this…a guild hall?” Red asked.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a genius,” A young brown-skinned man with a scruffy beard spoke sarcastically, “Yes sir, this is a guild hall. You’re looking at the Roaring Lion’s Warrior’s Guild. My name is Semaj and I am…the attendant I guess. Never really thought about what my title is.”
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“I’m Roalais Estremores, but you can call me Red. I would like to join you all and I need to expedite the process as much as possible. Can you help me?”
“Well I love the eagerness,” Semaj looked Red up and down for a few minutes, “You have that aura about you, like you’ve killed countless beings before. You sure you aren’t apart of a Warrior Guild already?”
Red shook his head, “No, I’m not part of a Warrior’s Guild. I’m not apart of the Naturalist or Magic Advancement Guilds either. I was apart of a standalone Adventurer’s Guild a while back, but I resigned from them around three months ago.”
Semaj wrote some notes on a piece of paper, “Sounds like you’re at least somewhat familiar with the process Red, so I’ll save most of my spiel. Now I’m not sure if you’ve ever been with a Warrior’s Guild, but it differs significantly from an Adventurer’s Guild. Over there, you’re rewarded for capturing monsters or submitting their cores and you get paid that way. The Warrior’s Guild is more like a police force. We take on whatever the knights don’t have time for.”
Red scratched his chin, “A policing force, huh? Someone else described it to me like that before as well.”
Semaj stopped writing his notes and looked Red in his eyes, “Your friend must be pretty knowledgeable as well. These assignments are ones the knights pass over, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Quite the opposite actually.”
Semaj waved his hands in the air, “You see, the government has this problem. They suffer from dichotomous thinking. If something isn’t as simple as black and white, good or bad, they don’t want to hurt their brains trying to figure it out. So, a lot of grey area disputes get tossed to the wayside. And that’s where we come in.”
Red quickly snapped his head back and forth, “Is it okay for you to be talking like that? How can you criticize your government so openly?”
Semaj laughed heartily, “I’ve been here my whole life, who is going to turn me in if I do? You?” Semaj leaned in close, “No, I know you won’t. We’re kindred spirits, right Roalais?”
Red backed up slowly, “Wha—have we met before?”
Semaj shook his head and smiled, “No Red, of course not. This is our first time meeting,” Semaj turned the paper around to Red, and sat a quill dabbed with ink next to it, “So Red, what do you think about joining us?”
Red nodded his head and Semaj cheered behind the counter.
Red looked at him, slightly confused. Semaj fixed his hair and whispered, “Sorry, I haven’t got a new recruit in months. Let’s hurry up and get your Recruitment Worksheet submitted. We have your name…what’s your class Red?”
Red slapped a thin rectangular card onto the counter. Semaj looked up at Red then down at the card.
“Oh this is perfect,” Semaj picked up the card and examined it, “Class is spellsword, subclass is Blood Mage. Your innate ability is…unknown?” Semaj looked up at Red once again.
Semaj shrugged his shoulders, “Eh, I can guess what it is. Alright, there’s a lot of red tape and formal documentation associated with this but I won’t keep you here for all of that. Only thing I still need is the initiation fee.”
Red rolled his eyes, “Initiation fee? How much is it?”
Semaj continued filling out the document, “We’re looking at 250 gira. This place has operating costs, and the posting fees we charge people aren’t enough.”
Red feigned looking his pockets for gold pieces for a few minutes. After a while, Semaj put down the document he was filling out and sighed.
“Fine! I’ll cover your initiation fee, don’t worry about it. In return, you're going to do a favor for me before I let you get your pick of the quests.”
Red reluctantly nodded his head.
Semaj crossed his arms, “Don’t worry Red, there’s more in it for you. I’ll give you access to some of our highest level quests, the S and A tiers, right off the bat!”
Semaj put his hand out and Red grasped it firmly.
Red exclaimed, “I’m not an adventurer anymore, looks like I’m a warrior.”
Semaj flipped a gold coin to Red, “Here’s a small advance, one hundred gira. Find somewhere to relax and sleep for the evening. I need to finish these documents off, but we’ll have your first assignment in the morning, right at the crack of dawn.”
As Red walked off, Semaj called out behind him, “Make sure to include a bath somewhere in your activities! You smell awful!”