The ride from the castle that night was an uneventful one. The territory surrounding the castle was regularly patrolled and kept safe by both knights and adventurers alike, making it a safe part of the country. Thus, although the sight of a carriage travelling this late at night was odd, there was also hardly anyone on the roads in the first place. With this, and the fact that the kingdom ensured its roads were smooth for quick and comfortable travel for merchants and military alike, the first part of the route allowed for a relatively comfortable night’s sleep for Neil and James. Word would soon be spread of their disappearance, making travelling out of the immediately vicinity of the upcoming search for them was of the utmost importance.
As the sun began to rise, the carriage began nearing the city where they would part with the driver. The man woke the boys as they approached the gates and slowed the horses to a stop at the start of the line of other carriages waiting to enter the city. A trio of the city’s guards, two men led by one woman, were coming to each carriage for vetting and inspection.
It looks like grandfather’s former decree to focus on merit and ability over gender and socio-economic status is being taken seriously. If only more places would implement such standards and take them seriously…
Neil and James ate a light breakfast along with the carriage driver as they waited their turn. Eventually, the guards arrived at their carriage.
“Good morning, gentlemen, and welcome to Hia,” said the woman, whose tone suggested that she was used to this routine and wasn’t going to be happy if they made things difficult. “My name is Maria. What brings you three to our fine city this morning?”
“The name’s Bailey, Bailey Hoover. I’m here to stock up on various wares and items to sell in other cities,” he said before pulling a small sheef of official-looking papers out of a small trunk behind his seat and handing them to her. “These two lads needed transportation, so I offered to let them ride along for some coin and to serve as my bodyguards in case we were attacked by bandits or monsters along the way.”
“Is that so?” Maria glanced over at Neil and James, looking them up and down. The two of them nodded in agreement and tensed up a little as she stared them down for a moment before sighing. “Names and occupations, please.”
I can’t exactly use my real name here, though I doubt they would believe me even if I was being honest. Let’s see...how about-
“Greetings, my name is Adam Baker. I’m an adventurer, though I’m just starting out.”
“Baker?" she said, blinking in surprise. "He speaks and carries himself like a noble..." she mumbled to herself. Catching herself, she cleared her throat and continued. "I’m surprised your parents approved of your decision. Did they not need you to help run the family business? Have you received any training?”
“I have. A family friend was a former knight and offered to train me. My parents weren’t exactly pleased, but given my training, they decided to give me a chance and see what happens. I can always return and work there if things don’t work out.”
“I see... And you?” she asked, turning to James.
“James Smith. Novice adventurer. My father’s a former adventurer who retired after I was born to succeed the family’s blacksmithing business.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. May we inspect your persons and your carriage?”
“Of course,” said Bailey. “Please let me know if there are any issues.”
Maria handed his papers back to him and signaled for the two men behind her to begin their inspection. The inspection of the carriage lasted about 10 minutes, consisting of a thorough search of the exterior for hidden compartments, a brief inspection of the items in the carriage. Next came the quick inspection of each of the occupants. Bailey was first, followed by James. Once they finished inspecting James, the two guardsmen approached Neil and began searching his person and the satchel he brought with him. A moment after the guards began patting him down, Neil suddenly realized that everything could fall apart in seconds.
Crap! I forgot that copy of that letter is in the satchel, and it’s sealed with my personal seal!
The guardsmen finished patting him down and began inspecting his satchel. Neil started to sweat a little as he panicked internally, watching as the two guardsmen ruffled through his satchel. His eyes went wide as one of them pulled out the rolled and sealed letter and looked it over, the seal clear as day. James noticed the seal and quickly glanced over at Neil. This exchange was in full view of the guardswoman, who didn’t hesitate to call them out on it.
“Is something the matter gentlemen? You seem to be worried about this letter here.”
“N-No worries here, ma’am,” said Neil, who was starting to sweat nervously. “Just an important document that I’m delivering.”
“Is that so?” Maria walked over to the other two guards and took the letter from him. Her eyes quickly found the seal, but any recognition or surprise they had was quickly replaced. She looked up from the seal and stared down Neil for a moment before returning the letter to the satchel. “It looks important. Make sure to take good care of it and yourselves so that it gets where it needs to go.” She let out a small sigh before continuing. “Everything seems to be in order. You’re all free to enter the city. Just pay the toll at the gate and don’t cause us any trouble. Have a good day gentleman and enjoy your stay here in Hia.”
Thank goodness…What a nice woman! We need more people like her! Truly a professional!
As Neil was busy with his internal elation, the trio of guards bid them farewell and the carriage advanced towards the gate ahead. Neil, James, and Bailey each paid a small toll to enter the city, with Bailey paying less thanks to his special merchant papers, and the carriage rolled into Hia. Neil looked around in awe as they entered the city. It was his first time seeing so many people and buildings, and the size and colors of the buildings were a delight to his eye.
“It's huge…,” Neil said to himself, gazing up at the city wall as they passed under it and into the city. His gaze quickly shifted to the scenery in front of him as the morning sun’s rays hit his eyes. The main road was lined with brown, multi-story homes and shops, with the occasional all-white building housing wealthier residents, a bank, a government office, or a high-end shop. Merchants and shopkeepers alike were already hard at work accompanying the morning rush as their carriage rolled across the cobblestone pavement. Crowds of people made their way along the sides of the road. Housewives hurried to find deals on food and household supplies at the market, while men stopped by taverns and food stalls to eat breakfast before heading to work.
The carriage crossed over a bridge leading over the river that ran through the city, entering a newer-looking, slightly wealthier district. The carriage driver guided the carriage around a corner and parked it in one of the stalls next to the building housing Hia’s branch of the country’s merchant’s guild.
“Thank you for protecting my carriage,” Bailey said with a wink and a smile. “I trust that you two will be able to handle yourselves from now on, yes?”
“We will. Thank you for your assistance and hospitality,” Neil said with a bow. “Before we part, would you happen to know where the city’s adventurer’s guild is located?”
“I do. It’s located just down the road to our right about one block. You can’t miss it. Most cities were quick to realize that adventurers and merchants go together, so most cities have them close to each other for convenience.”
“Interesting. Thank you for the information.”
“It’s my pleasure, Your High-...sir. When you’re ready to travel somewhere else, you can either accept a guild quest for protecting merchant caravans, travel on foot by yourselves, or simply pay a fee to be passengers on a caravan. Given your plans though, it would honestly be better to go with the first or third options. You might as well make some money from it if you can, and possibly even make connections that could be beneficial in the future.”
With that, Neil and James bid Bailey farewell and began walking down the road toward the adventurer’s guild. The crowds were noticeably smaller in this part of the city, but adventurers, craftsmen, artisans, and merchants made up the majority of the people passing through. After a few minutes of walking, the two of them arrived outside the adventurer’s guild. The brown, wooden building was three stories tall. Hanging above the door was a sign with the guild’s iconic logo: the letters “A” and “G,” with a pair of swords for the two slanted lines on the “A” and a shield centered behind the “G.”
That’s the Guild symbol! This is it! It’s time to become an adventurer! Wait, stop. Calm down. Don’t get all excited. You’re not a kid anymore. You’re sixteen years old. Focus. Breathe…
As the two of them stepped inside, they immediately smelled freshly cooked meat and saw that the large room in front of them was divided down the middle between the guild and the guild-run tavern. Neil did his best to ignore his stomach’s pleas as he and James made their way over towards the counter in the guild section. A series of signs hung over each of the receptionists at the counter. After examining them for a moment, they entered the leftmost line, which was for new registrations, general information, and submitting job requests. The person ahead of them finished their business as they approached the open spot at the front of the line, and they approached the counter.
“Welcome to Hia’s Adventurer’s Guild. My name is Anna. How many I help you today?” said the receptionist, who blushed slightly as she turned to look at Neil and met his eyes.
“Good morning. We’d both like to register as adventurers,” said Neil.
“Great! I’ll ask both of you some questions and then we’ll have you participate in a test of your abilities so that we can properly rank you. Guild rankings indicate which jobs you’ll be able to accept from the job board. Each job is assigned a difficulty ranking, and your guild ranking must to greater than or equal to the job’s ranking in order to accept it. If you’re in a party, at least one person must have a guild ranking greater than or equal to the job’s ranking, and the other party members must be no lower than one rank in relation to the job’s ranking. This is to ensure the safety of everyone participating in the quest.
“Your initial ranking will be determined through the test, but successfully completing a certain number of quests that match your current rank and retaking the test will lead to promotions over time as you get stronger and hone your abilities. Quest details, including the job’s ranking, a description, and the reward for its successful completion, are listed on papers on the Job Board. Please read these carefully, as some jobs will reward each participant, whereas others will have a set amount to be divided among all participants. Also, the Guild receives five percent of all monetary rewards from each participant. We purchase various items, such as herbs, monster and animal parts, and other useful materials that you might collect on quests as well.
“As for the Guild’s rules, they’re fairly straightforward: don’t break the law, don’t be rude to your fellow adventurers, and respect the authority of the Guild. That means don’t get into fights with other adventurers, don’t interfere with their quests, and don’t be a bad person in general. We need everyone to follow the rules or else people will lose trust and respect for the Guild and other adventurers. Do either of you have any questions or need me to repeat anything?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“I can’t think of anything at the moment. How about you, James?”
“I can’t think of any questions either.”
“Alright, now we just need both of you to complete the application and pay the registration fee,” said Anna. “I’ll ask you the questions on the application and then write down your responses. So long as there isn’t anything preventing us from accepting you, you’ll both be registered as adventurers and then step out back to take the test to determine your guild rankings. Who would like to go first?”
“Would you like to go first James?”
“…Okay.”
“Let’s begin. What is your full name?”
Neil’s focus quickly drifted away from the conversation next to him as he began to look around the first floor of the guild hall. His attention was immediately drawn to the delicious smells of the food being served and eaten on the other half of the room. The tavern section was half full, with small teams and individual adventurers spread out among the various tables.
I need to get my hands on some of that food before we leave. We’ll have to hurry to beat the morning and evening busy hours if we want to get a table to ourselves and not worry about the rowdy ones.
“Eighteen.”
“Hometown?”
“Yulia.”
“Have you received any schooling?”
“I completed basic schooling. I can do simple arithmetic and read and write a bit.”
“I see…" said Anna as she wrote his response. "Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime?”
“No.”
Neil noted James’ seemingly natural responses and immediately wondered if he was being completely honest. He decided to shelve that thought and spare himself the stress for the time being. He shifted his attention towards the guild side of the large room. He quickly noticed the Job Board, which was located on the middle of the far wall of the guild side to their right. There was a small group of four adventurers standing in front of it examining one of the job listings pinned on the lower half of the board, which had two stars drawn in its upper left corner.
We’ll need to check out that board after we finish our guild registrations, get some new armor, and stock up on supplies.
“My father was an adventurer, but he retired after I was born.”
“…Okay. Last question: Do you agree to follow all of the guild’s rules and regulations?”
“I do.”
“Great! You’re all set! We’ll issue you your personal guild card after you complete your test. Now then, let’s start on your friend’s application.”
“Okay,” said Neil as he stepped forward.
“Name?”
“Ne- Adam. Adam Baker.”
“How old are you, Adam?”
“Sixteen.”
“…Hometown?”
“Hesall.”
“Ooh! The capital! I wish I could go there someday…”
There was a brief pause as Anna began to daydream before quickly catching herself.
“Pardon me. Where was I…? Ah, yes. Have you received any schooling?”
“I have. I’ve received an education in a variety of subjects, including arithmetic, reading and writing, history, public speaking, as well as reading, writing, and speaking Balesian. I also plan to attend the country’s university in the future…uh, if I can afford it, that is.”
Nice recovery...not! I can't believe I said all that! Focus, Neil!
“Oh my! How wonderful! Most adventurers don’t receive any education after basic schooling, if that. I’m sure you’ll be a valuable member of the Guild! Now, I have to ask, but have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime?”
“I have not.”
“Okay…have any of your family members been Guild members?”
“…No, they have not.”
“I see. Finally, do you agree to follow all of the Guild’s rules and regulations?”
“I do.”
“And…you’re all set! I’ll call over one of our staff members to administer the ranking test, so please head out back. Good luck!”
Neil and James walked over to a door in the middle of the dividing line between the guild side and the guild’s tavern that had the words “Testing Area” written on it and stepped outside. The two raised a hand to their faces for a few seconds as they were temporarily blinded by the light of the sun, which had risen further into the sky since they entered the adventurer’s guild. A minute later, a buff middle-age man with armed with a wooden sword and a small shield walked through the door. Two scar lines ran down his check and connected halfway.
“Congratulations on being accepted into the Guild. The name’s Jonah. For the guild rank test, both of you will fight me in a one-on-one match. During our fight, I’ll assess your combat abilities and then use that to help assign you a rank. By the way, there are six different guild rankings, ranging from ‘No-Star Adventurers’ to ‘Five-Star Adventurers.’ That said, we usually don’t rank new members higher than Two-Star or Three-Star unless the guild knows of any prior experience to justify it. Fighting isn’t the only important part of being an adventurer, and fighting a human is different than fighting a monster. We want you to gain some experience as an adventurer and grow stronger before we promote you to a higher guild rank. That’s pretty much all you need to know. So, who wants to go first?”
----------------------------------------
“Excellent! You’re now both officially members of the Guild, both here in Hia, the country of Elysia, and internationally,” said Anna, who handed Neil and James their guild cards. “Make sure you follow the Guild’s rules and be respectful to other adventurers and the people whose quests you accept. As registered adventurers of the Guild, your actions reflect on the Guild itself, so we won’t hesitate to revoke your guild memberships and blacklist you if cause too much trouble or make us look bad. That said, please feel free to ask us any questions and take quests on the Job Board that are equal to or lower in rank compared to the ones listed on your guild cards for the majority of the members in your party. If there aren’t any questions, good luck and we hope to see you soon!”
Neil and James thanked Anna and then headed over to the tavern section to get lunch. Their respective sparring matches with Jonna earlier had left the two of them feeling hungry, and the enticing smell of cooked meat was all too tempting to pass up. The pair of now-official-adventurers took a seat at one of the empty tables, and a waitress made her way over to them.
“Welcome to the Guild’s tavern!” said the waitress as she placed a small menu in front of each of them. “Please look over your menus and give me a shout when you’re ready to order. In the meantime, can I get either of you something to drink?”
“I’ll take a cup of water, please,” replied Neil.
“Same,” said James.
“Great! I’ll bring those out to you in a minute.”
“Thank you.”
Neil and James looked over their menus for a few moments and decided on what they would order. Money wouldn’t be an issue for the near-future thanks to the financial aid they each received from Sir Andrew before they left the castle, but they both recognized that it would be odd for two new adventurers to be ordering the more expensive items on the menu. Thankfully, the cooked meat that they smelled earlier was just within the reasonable price range. The waitress returned with their cups of water a moment later.
“Here are your waters,” she said, setting the cups on the table. “Are you two ready to order?”
“We are,” the two said in unison, prompting laughter from all three of them.
“It sure seems like it,” the waitress said with a chuckle. “What can I get each of you?”
“I’ll have two slices of the cooked meat, please,” said Neil.
“I’d also like to order two slices.”
“Alright! We’ll get those out to you as soon as we can.”
The waitress brought back their orders to the chef. As they waited, Neil and James took out their guild cards. Each card contained its owner’s name, their guild ranking, their age, hometown and country of origin, their weapon proficiencies, and any notable skills that they had.
“As much as I would have liked to have earned a Three-Star ranking, I’m glad that we both got a Two-Star ranking. It’s pretty high for new adventurers. I was honestly surprised that you did so well considering you haven’t been training for as long as I have,” said Neil.
“I’m hurt,” said James with a playful grin. “I am…was the leader of a group of royal knights after all.”
“That’s true. How did you get to be so good at your age?”
“Same as you, Your High-...Ne-...Adam. Hard work, dedication, and a general knack for the sword I suppose. My father was a former adventurer too, so maybe it’s just in my blood.”
“That makes se- Wait, didn’t you say that during your interview earlier?”
“I did.”
Neil leaned in and lowered his voice. “Aren’t we supposed to be creating fake identities?! We don’t want them to find out who we really are and get caught.”
“…Oh. My apologies.”
An awkward pause filled the air for a moment.
“Whoops.”
“Yeah, really!” Neil said with a hearty laugh.
James smiled and let out a small chuckle.
“We should probably go check out some armor shops after this and take on a quest or two while we’re here before we leave to go to the next town or city.”
“Agreed. What we have is best suited for knights, not adventurers. We can probably afford some decent armor with the money we were given and still have some left over for food and lodging. We should also stock up on supplies before we leave.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Following their meal, Neil and James left the adventurer’s guild and, after asking for directions, made their way to one of the nearby armor shops. Marked with a sign with a suit of armor on it, the two were able to find it easily. Neil opened the door to the shop and stepped inside, a bell jingling delightfully overhead. The brief rush of wind exiting the shop carried the smell and sounds of a smithy located in a room behind the counter on the opposite end of the room. The repetitive sounds of a hammer hitting metal that rang out from the room paused for a moment.
“I’ll be with you in a minute!” a man called out to them, before the clinking continued.
Neil and James looked around the shop as James shut the door behind them. Various types of armor and metal-based shields lined the walls and racks. A small piece of paper listing the price of each item was tied to each. The higher priced items tended to be located towards the back of the shop and on the upper shelves. The owner clearly understood where to keep their more valuable items. The two slowly walked around the shop and inspected some of the armor. A few minutes later, a black-gloved hand pushed aside the curtain separating the back room from the shop, and a buff middle-aged man with a short beard emerged. He was slightly on the smaller side with thin, black hair and carried himself with a sense of pride and authority.
“My apologies for the wait, lads. How can I help ya?”
“We’re both new adventurers, and we were hoping to get some new armor. We have prior training as knights, but we wanted to get armor that’s better suited to adventuring.”
“I see. You said that you both were knights, does that mean that you both specialize in swordplay?”
“That’s correct. Standard arming swords and bucklers for the most part. We plan to use similar weapons and possibly the same shields, but we’d like to get your opinion first before we commit to that.”
“Glad to hear you’re both open to receiving advice. Knights are generally more armored than adventurers. I guess it depends on your guild rank and the types of quests you take, but most adventurers opt for light armor in favor of more mobility. The same goes with weapons, but given your choice, you two should be fine there. I recommend getting some light chain mail as well as a pair of greaves and bracers if you’re not doing any high-ranking quests. Whether you want any head gear is up to you. I’d also visit a weapons smith and get yourselves a few daggers and a short sword. You never know what will happen out there, so it’s always best to be prepared. Having more than one weapon is especially important.”
“Thank you for your advice. It’s incredibly helpful. Could you recommend us one or two weapons smiths that we should visit?”
“Of course! I have a few friends who specialize in that kind of stuff.”
Neil and James each bought light chain mail armor along with a pair of greaves and bracers to protect their arms and legs. They then visited one of the weapons smiths that the blacksmith at the armor shop recommended, where they both purchased a few daggers and a short sword. Afterwards, they visited a few of the city’s inns before settling on a reputable one that the Guild recommended. The next morning, the pair decided to take on a quest to kill some boars and return with its meat, tusks, and hide.
----------------------------------------
King Edward was restless. The castle was in an uproar as everyone frantically searched for any sign of the missing prince. His disappearance was discovered after he hadn’t come downstairs to eat breakfast the morning after his birthday party and castle guards entered his room, finding it empty. The letter on his desk was quickly located, and they found that some of Neil’s personal items were missing.
Edward was quickly notified of the developments and given the letter; he read it and subsequently threw it as he flew into a rage, although the paper didn’t travel far before it fell to the floor. A search party was immediately organized, and a head count of castle staff issued. It was soon discovered that one of the castle guards was missing, and though the king’s first thought was a kidnapping, the note from Prince Neil was a blatant contradiction to such notions. The only other possibilities that he could think of was that the missing knight either assisted Neil in his escape or that they ran away in pursuit of him. Either way, both were missing. Though they both needed to be found as soon as possible, it would be damaging and dangerous to reveal such information to the outside world.
The task of searching for the two missing boys was reassigned to a small group of trusted knights and nobles, so as not to leak the news to the public and less trusted persons and sow chaos. The new search party began their search in the area surrounding the castle. A few trained in hunting and tracking in the wild searched the nearby forests, while the others rode to nearby towns and cities to search and gather information.
By the end of the first day, Prince Neil and the missing knight still hadn’t been found. King Edward was furious, nervous, and restless. The crown prince, next in line for the throne, had seemingly run away from home to become a wandering adventurer. He had almost never stepped foot outside the castle grounds. Edward understood Neil’s reasons and what likely led to his decision, but it had all been necessary for his safety. The thought of Neil being killed in a fight or being discovered and held for ransom terrified him.
As the first day of the search drew to a close, King Edward ordered that the search area be expanded. Additional groups of knights were dispatched to further regions, including the nearby capital city, as well as the slightly more distant city of Hia. The knights left at dawn the next morning, arriving in towns and cities throughout the day. A small group of knights arrived in Hia that evening and began their investigation the following morning.