The tour of the castle was over rather quickly as we did not intrude into most of the rooms. That ended up being my saving grace in not having to shy away from doors being opened, for the most part. We also did not go down into the servant's quarters in the basement as it was unoccupied and neglected. Casper told me that save for him, all the servants were let go when the current Thornton took over to save on expenses. The lord of the castle was currently out of town looking to personally recruit and bring back individuals that could help defend Arenol and the surrounding region. Specifically, I was told he was on the hunt for an ascended so they would not have to rely only on Andre should the worst come to pass.

So far, I am getting a rather good impression and image of this Thornton guy, with him trying so hard to keep the people safe. It made me sort of want to meet him, but at the same time also somewhat anxious, as ultimately he is the boss around here. Either way, I was bound to meet him eventually if I stuck around long enough. If I do not get discovered and chased out or killed before then, that is.

As it had not been specified when exactly I was supposed to meet Andre for the self-defense lessons, I could make use of at least the first half of the day investigating. As long as I got out of the castle before Lucie and Larry woke up, I could avoid being dragged to the church by one of them. Tristan was already up. We had bumped into him as he was coming out of his room, but all he said was that he was going to see Nick about his arm and left.

We eventually returned to the hall as the sky brightened, and while there was no direct sunlight streaming through the windows, I felt as if the skin on my face and hands was starting to sting. It was so slight, however, that I was not entirely sure if it was actually burning or my mind playing tricks on me from my paranoia of the sunlight. Either way, I began arranging my headcovers and pulled my gloves from my pockets.

"Is everything alright?" Casper asked as he watched with apparent confusion.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just very sensitive to the sun." I explained, trying to appear nonchalant about it. "Gives me awful burns if I'm not careful. Even reflected it causes irritation. I'm also planning on going out and taking a look around right now. Are there any places you would recommend I should visit? I've seen the church. Is there a market or bazaar here? Or maybe a library?"

He seemed slightly taken aback by my condition and took a moment to respond.

"No. No, there aren't any libraries. This is a small town, I'm afraid. We have a few books in the study here if you are just looking to read, but they are mostly concerning myths and legends. That's all we have left. As for a market, it should already be set up in the town square, right outside the church. There are a few taverns I heard are good if you are looking for a meal. Oh, I suppose there are the docks. They might not be much themselves, but we do get some fancy ships from time to time even here."

"What about the mercenary guild?" I ventured. "I heard there's one here."

"Indeed there is," Casper confirmed with a slight chuckle. "If you want to go there, just ask anyone in the streets. They'll point you in the right direction. Everyone knows where it is. It's called the Sword and Board, but if you came from the mainland, it probably won't be what you are expecting."

~~~

The town turned out to be more packed than I expected as the early morning buzz of people moving wares and preparing for their day crowded the streets. I got more than a handful of curious gazes at my outfit, especially from those I asked for directions, and I could see I stood out more than I expected. Some would even give me a wide berth as I passed by, which I ultimately could not complain about as I was constantly worried about bumping into someone and exposing some part of me to the sun by accident. It would be no joke if my glove shifted, for example, and revealed my wrist, as depending on how fast I would burn, that could result in me straight up losing my hand.

I did my best to stop those sorts of thoughts from invading my head, but it was difficult not to think about. As a precaution, I did my best to stick to any shadows that presented themselves, but I really just wanted an umbrella at this point.

The building I eventually arrived at, thankfully without incident, was adorned with a sign of a sword drawn on a board which in turn was nailed to another board right above the entrance. It was three stories tall and located on the main throughway leading, if I was not mistaken, to the northeast.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I did not linger outside long, opening the door and entering without hesitation. I found myself in a large open room filled with round tables and a countertop along with a staircase leading up at the back. It looked like a tavern rather than what I imagined a guild would, and there was even an older man eating breakfast at one of the tables. There was also a pair sitting at a different table, a man and woman appearing to be around my age sharing drinks. Lastly, a man that looked tall even when sitting down was behind the counter knitting with a ball of yarn.

Everyone in the room had turned to look at the newcomer, namely me, so I quickly removed my veil and showed my face now that I was in the clear.

"Welcome," the giant of a man greeted me with a raised hand as he put down his knitting needles. "You looking for the mercenary guild?"

"Yeah," I confirmed as I crossed the room and approached the counter. "Just got into town and wanted to check it out."

"Well, not too much to see here. We provide board and quick meals for those registered, as well as the regular administrative services. Have you come as a member or a client?"

"Neither. I wanted to know about registering and what it means as well as the process and requirements."

"Oh, you will need to talk to my brother about that. I run the inn portion of the business while he manages the guild portion. I'll take you to him."

The man rose from his seat, towering a good two heads above me. I followed him as he led me to a door leading out of the foyer, down a short hallway, and into an adjoining room.

"She's looking to register." The tall man announced into the room after he opened the door, quickly stepping aside for me while holding it open.

Inside was a small office, with the walls covered in shelves filled with stacks upon stacks of papers. There were no windows, with the room illuminated by a lamp sitting on the only desk, behind which a heavily hunched over man sat with his face practically glued to the wooden surface as he looked over documents. I quickly realized that he was not hunched over voluntarily, as his spine formed an unnatural, horrible curve.

"Alright, well, come on in then. Take a seat."

I sat in one of the two chairs facing him as the door was closed behind me, leaving just the two of us.

"My name is Willis, and I am the local mercenary guild representative. I apologize for not being able to talk to you face to face, but my condition, unfortunately, doesn't allow me. Since you are looking to register, I have a few questions I will need you to answer so I can fill out the corresponding documents." As he talked, he pulled out a blank sheet from under his desk and grabbed a quill. "Do you possess elemental affinities?"

"Actually, I'm not here to register," I stated, dodging his question. "I just had a few questions about the guild and how exactly it works."

"Are you asking as a prospective member or a prospective client?" He asked, returning the quill to its inkwell.

"Member, I suppose, but I'd like to know about both if it's not much to ask."

"Well, to start it off then, there is no strict need to be a member to act as a mercenary, but it would be in your favor. First and foremost, you need clients to give you work, and this is typically the place anyone would come looking for protection. That does not mean you need to do work exclusively through the guild, but few would risk working with those that aren't members. That is because there is little reason for anyone in that line of work to not be a member unless they have somehow lost their membership. While practically anyone can register, provided they have a full set of elements, we make sure our members have integrity. You will find that you can lose your membership just as fast as you get it should you be found breaking the law or betraying a contract. That is why we have two tiers of membership: provisional and trusted. Now, while there are set hiring fees listed by the guild, they are the minimum a client would need to pay. Individually, however, you can demand more, and one is free to negotiate. The guild takes a small cut as a contracting fee, but it mostly remains with the individual. Instead, you are required to pay a monthly membership fee. All this is more or less the same for most branches of the guild, but specific details can vary from place to place. I don't know to what extent exactly, but it would probably do you well to always check. Here, however, that is pretty much it, at least officially."

"Officially? Oh, do you mean like how they pair up old and young?"

"Yes, that is one example. Another is that the client is obliged to pay for any travel expenses, which include food and board, for the duration of the contract. Now, I don't know everything, but I'm sure you'll learn if you join. So, what will it be?"

"I'll need to think about it. What exactly would I need to register, though? Is there like a test to show I can fight or something like that?"

"You don't need to worry about that. It is up to you to convince the clients, not us, that you can defend them, or whatever it is they need protected. All I need is your name, your elements, and for you to pay the registration fee."

"And how much is that?"

"Two ravens. The monthly fee is ten, and twenty when trusted. This is a good time to sign up as there are a lot of clients now with the cargo ships coming to pick up the yearly harvest."

"I'll need some time. Thank you either way." I stood up and walked over to the door. "Have a good day."

Willis did not respond, putting away the blank sheet of paper back under his desk. I pulled open the door and suddenly found myself face to face with Larry with his hand outstretched to grab the door handle.

"Valerie? What are ya doing here?"