Chapter 9 Sarena...

The Uljit’s guild hall was completely different from the one in Hulina, to start with it was a massive structure that had to be at the very least four times the size of that one. The actual structure itself was much like the surrounding houses, built so that it was buried into the ground, but even then it was easy to see that it was a massive building. The place had the main entrance and a dedicated exit, both of which seemed to have people using them at all points in time.

For every adventurer or patron that entered two more would leave, going about their business like they didn't have a care in the world, o perhaps grim-faced and ready to take on a tough mission. There was not a single thing about the men and women that walked out of that building that was any sort of uniform, other than the fact that they all seemed to be armed one way or another. Everything from a peasant with what looked like a sharpened pitchfork to a man in full plate armor with a sword almost taller than he was, and all the ranges in between.

My companions didn't even seem to notice, I suppose that with time even something like this would fail to catch a person’s eye. Quickly I hopped down off of Harland’s back and stretched, purring in contentment, one arm stretched above my head and the other forming a right angle just below my elbow pulling the arm over to stretch it out. I arched my back and relished the feeling of those muscles loosening.

After I was done stretching I followed my companions inside.

The inside of the large building was even more impressive than the outside, after I went down the stairwell and inside I practically ran into a wall of sound, each and every person inside was makes some sort of noise, be it talking, shouting, cussing, or smashing something down on the surfaces of something else. It was like the Tribal meets where all the tribes gathered to discuss things, only a hundred times bigger,Well perhaps that was an exaggeration, but the fact of the matter was that there was a massive amount of people present here in the guild hall, and each and every one of them was attempting to make more noise than the last. My ears which up to this point had been used to listen to small far away sounds in hunting hurt like hell with everyone talking all at once.

"Attention everyone!" all eyes went to a receptionist that stood at the counter, her bright blue eyes and long blond hair with a single braid on one side stood out as a contrast to all the armored and armed adventurers. she smiled as she held up a stake of parchment. "It is time to put up new contacts!" a cheer went up in the crowd, and I looked over at my companions, who were also cheering.

"Come on Rin! join in you are an adventurer now as well!" Harland raised my arm in the air, practically wrenching the limb out of my socket as he lifted me off of my feet. It was not a comfortable feeling...

"Yay," I let out what had to be the most noncommital sounding cheer that ever was, just so the bear of a man would let me down. as my paws touched the ground I rolled my shoulder, attempting to coax the wrenched arm back into place as we all walked forward. This place was packed, with adventurers tearing down the fliers that were placed on the wall almost the second they got placed there by the guild receptionists.

It was almost like a jawdar feeding frenzy. I chuckled to myself as I compared the armed and armored mass of dangerous humans to the small grey birds that swarmed any and every scrap that was left unattended for longer than a half second.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Well I'll be damned," a sultry voice calls out, and I watch as both Tamerian and Harland's back become rigid at the sound of it. Turning I look at a dark elf woman, her skin a creamy color of chocolate brown, her eyes a bright violet that seem to almost glow in the light of the guild hall, her bright red hair bound up behind her head so that it spikes up and away, with the exception of two bangs that frame her on either side. A lazy smile is spread over her painted red lips, and a gold set of chains and ornaments decorate her crimson hair. her body is covered in a tight purple leather dress of sorts, well, it is more like a leather skirt with a top that comes down to just under her breasts, leaving her midriff exposed to the elements. the dress is made up of strips of purple leather, gilded with some gold, it is interesting how she was able to wear it an not seem overly gaudy, something about the colors just worked well for her.

in her hands was a staff. the twisted branch of a tree that held a red crystal in it, complete with pieces of the glowing gem floating independently around it. something about her just seemed like a wild mage. one not taught but one that inherited from her mother or grandmother.

there was no doubt, she was a coven witch.

"Sari," Harland said the name softly as he turned and looked at the woman. she was tall, almost as tall as he was, but then again the elven race tended to be taller.

"Don't call me that, use my full name," she narrowed her eyes at him, "You lost the right to call me that long ago."Harland didn't say a thing, simply standing there attempting to not growl out a response at her. Tamerian, on the other hand, stepped forward.

"Sarena, you seem to be doing well, have you taken up with another group?“ Tamerion asked, his eyes taking in the woman's garb. There must be something about magic users in this world, they all dress, well like magic users, you can see one from a mile away, be it the robes or the hats.

Or in Sarena's case the fact that she was wearing a dress with that much-exposed mocha skin in the middle of winter. Granted I also had on very little in the ways of clothes, but I could get away with it, I was after all covered in fur...

"No," she looked at Tamerian and then back at Harland, “I have learned that I am better off alone, I do not have a partner at the moment.” she looked at Harland and pursed her lips. "That is enough idle chat, what are you doing here Harland, I though Hamin made it quite clear what he would do to you if he ever saw you again..."

"Hamin can go fuck himself," Harland narrowed his eyes, "or is that your job?" he growled, I had only known the man for a little bit, and this was the first time I had ever seen him so angry.

"You can tell him that yourself," Sarena snorted, her purple eyes blazing, "I am no longer with him anymore, haven't seen him in months, he is running with a group of thugs now, they call themselves the blackbands. nasty bunch, the word is they even take unsolicited jobs, I was just giving you a heads up," her face contorted into a mockery of a smile, "for old times sakes."

It was at this point she noticed me, she looked a little surprised but she suppressed it quickly as her violet eyes took me in. “A khatan? Aren't you a little far from your mountain tribe little kitten?” the question was not barbed, it didn't seem like she was looking down on me, so I answered truthfully.

“Rinmua wants to be an adventurer,” I say and I see something dark pass over her face, her bright violet eyes flashing dangerously.

“I don't see why there is no glory or honor, all we are is glorified thugs, doing jobs for coins, and in the end we will find ourselves at the end of a spear, or the edge of a sword bleeding out unknown and unmourned.” she was looking at me, not really seeing me, but rather something else entirely. “In the end, the darkness will swallow all of us, all that is left to us is to see how far we get before we are brought low .”

no one said a word to that.

She glanced at me before she turned to Harland. "I hope you treat your new members better than you do your old members," she said, and turned away, dispersing into the growing crowd of adventures in a swirl of purple-red and mocha chocolate.