Moments after entering the town, the group venture their way into a weapons shop. There, Sharon finally buys some arrows and a new crossbow. She hops ecstatically up-and-down, having not only her weaponries back, but for it to be brand new too.

“Yay~! A crossbow! And it’s new~!” Sharon exclaims jubilantly while clutching onto her newly bought items tightly.

Victor on the other hand, had simply wanted to go back home, and was growing impatient. The fact that he was also in an area he was unfamiliar with did not help to foster his nerves. “Ok you got what you wanted, can we now go get maps?”

“Of course! Of course! Sorry! I’m just so happy~!” She responds back delighted, with excitement spilling out of her.

People in the background begin to murmur. A crowd slowly forms out on the street.

Bystander 1: Oi! Look!

Bystander 2: Isn’t that…?! Grand Orion....?!

Sharon’s pointed ears twitch, catching wind of the bystanders’ words. Her attention immediately turns towards outside the shop.

Bystander: Look! Look! It’s Grand Orion! Grand Orion is in the town!

She did hear clearly after all. “Grand Orion?! The real thing!?” Sharon fangirled. Her eyes sparkle in enthusiasm.

Members of Grand Orion are seen marching through the streets as people make way for them.

The trio makes their way through the crowd, squishing and shoving their way to the front. Meanwhile Tatsuo simply marches forward, the giant box he’s carrying on his shoulder rudely smacking people on their head with them ensuing complaints following.

Sharon’s head pops out from the front of the crowd. As soon as her sight laid on the people marching down on the rustic streets, it became apparent to her. She could tell immediately from the pictures she's seen from the news and posters on the rare occasions she visited the towns far away from her home when she was young.

The man at the very front was wrapped in a red cape and wore heavy, yet regal armor underneath. He had gray hair styled in a slick back, and two hair strands that grew thicker with a bushy end that stuck out from where the hair receded, impersonating antennae that are slicked back as well. That man was their leader, Bruce. Though he is old, he still had a physique of a weathered, yet healthy warrior.

Sharon: Oh wow! It’s really them! Grand Orion! I never thought I’d get to see a famous guild here!

The Orion members gently smile and wave back at the crowd as they receive revered cheers from them. One of the members beside their leader at the front moves in closer to whisper to him.

Orion member: Oi…Bruce…

Bruce: Yeah , I feel it too…It’s only slight, but there’s a feeling of dread looming in the air that’s making me anxious… As if there’s some sort of unsettling gaze fixated on us… For now we should remain calm, if anything happens we’ll take action. Let’s not cause a panic here.

Amongst the crowd Tatsuo stares at them cluelessly.

“So, what is Grand Orion?” Tatsuo asked Sharon.

“Only one of the greatest guilds ever! They’re currently ranked 3rd in the official overall guild ranking!” Sharon answered.

“Oh, I see…” Tatsuo says, affirming her response.

Tatsuo: ….

Tatsuo: What’s a guild?

“Huh?? You don’t know what a guild is?” Sharon asked, shook by Tatsuo’s lack of awareness.

Tatsuo: Well, I’ve heard of them, but I never dug too deep into the topic…

Sharon proudly lectures Tatsuo, “Guilds are an organization made up of people who share common goals or interests. There’s a wide range of guilds that specialize in different things!”

Victor: What? So they’re not all about just hunting monsters and clearing dungeons?

Sharon: Nope! There’s a guild that specializes in hunting ingredients and the guild Moonshine is widely acclaimed for their alcohol! Grand Orion that you just saw are also exceptionally known for their weapons crafting and alchemy!

Tatsuo: Heh…That’s interesting…

Sharon: Pretty cool yeah?

“Aaaah~! I hope I can be part of a guild someday~…!” She says yearnfully while looking up optimistically to the sky.

“Ah! I know!” Sharon turns to face Tatsuo. “Tatsuo, you’re looking for somebody right? We can try visit the guild hub! They have a search database system so maybe they can help you locate the person you’re looking for!”

***

*At the guild hub.

The three stumble into a tavern-like house filled with various individuals dressed as adventurers. Round tables with seats made out of oak materials dotted at both sides of the room. At one of the corners, were a pair of stairs that led up to a visible second floor, held directly on top of the receptionist area. The second floor catered entirely to tables for people to dine and drink, with a balcony that oversaw the entirety of the first floor.

Compared to the first floor where folks were holding mindful conversations, the second floor was rife with lively laughs and shouting.

Victor: Woah, so this is a guild hub huh…? – He says unnervingly out of place.

Sharon: You’ve never been to one?

“Woodsford doesn’t have a guild hub and rarely do I ever get to leave the town. Only on rare occasions when my father goes out for his business trips.” Victor replies while his head shifts in multiple directions at the peculiar individuals he spots.

At one corner of the room, there’s a huge man with a queue hairstyle with a bull nose piercing that’s taking up three seats altogether to sit comfortably. The man pinches the mug in front of him in order to bring it to his mouth to drink out of it.

On another table, there’s a woman with her midriff exposed with most of her body lathered in multiple tattoos of different colors, painting her a rainbow. The length of her nails was bigger than her head. Basic functions such as simply grabbing must be a pain for her, is what Victor thought. How does she use the restroom with nails like those?

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Then over at the reception, there’s a man who is completely decked out in a black suit with steampunk goggles attached to the black top hat he was wearing, impatiently checking a circular device wrapped around his wrist. The person in front of him has nothing on his person to cover himself other than a loincloth. In another line, there appears to be a man who has….An entire fish for his head…?

Tatsuo: So what do? Should I just start asking everybody around here?

Sharon: You could do that… But for now let’s see if one of the receptionists can help us.

The three march forward towards the reception desks located at the end of the room past the sets of round tables. The group waits at the back of a line until eventually one of the receptionists calls for them, a young blonde woman with her hair tied up in a bun.

The receptionist greeted them with a smile and professional mannerism, “Hello, my name is Becca, how may I be of service for you folks today?”

Tatsuo: Hi my name is Tatsuo, I’m looking for someone named Veloren…Veloren Aund Gerfuden. Do you think you can find this person for me?

Becca: Sure thing! Which guild do you folks belong to?

Tatsuo purses his lips together without being able to give an immediate reply back.

Tatsuo: …

Tatsuo: Grand Orion.

Sharon: No we’re not! Don’t try to lie your way into this!!! – She scolds.

Sharon: I’m sorry, we’re not a part of any guilds.

Becca politely brings her hand to cover her mouth. “My apologies, the guild association’s information network is an exclusive feature for official guild members only.” She says in a regretful tone.

Sharon pulls back in disappointment – “Oh…”

Victor: Isn’t there anything else you can do? – He asks the receptionist.

Becca: Realistically speaking, I could provide you the option to see if the person you’re looking for is currently in a guild…

“So a guild member search… That could work…” Sharon says while putting herself in a thinking gesture. She turns to Tatsuo, “Perhaps the person you’re looking for is part of a guild?”

Tatsuo: Yeah, we could try that.

Becca: Ok then! You said you were looking for Veloren, yes? Truth be told, I’m not sure you’ll get much of, if not, any results… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any guilds having a member that goes by that name…

A magic screen pops up projecting itself in front of Becca.

As Becca begins to inspect the display, she mutters to herself in confusion, “…Oh? Ah….huh…?” She presses her hand to her chin, hiding it with her pointer finger covering her mouth. “This is strange…”

The visible confusion on Becca’s face had the three exchanging glances with one another.

Victor: What’s up?

Becca: Well apparently we have a record of this person… – Her disturbed eyes were still glued to the screen.

An expression of relief springs onto the three’s faces.

Victor: That’s great…!

Becca: Yes…But there’s a lot of inconsistencies involving the file…

Victor: Eh? What do you mean?

Becca finally takes her sight off the screen to appropriately face the group.

Becca: Well first off, this person is the only member of this guild…But one of the requirements to make a guild to begin with is that you must have at least three people in it. – She says while holding up three fingers.

Becca: Then there’s the guild’s name… It doesn’t sound like a name at all… It just says: “In Memory Of…”

Victor: In memory of? As… “In memory of Veloren?”

Tatsuo: What’s with that? So in the end I’m looking for a dead man?

Becca’s focus falls back onto the screen. “That’s what I would presume as well… But if you look at his name, it’s still glowing, which indicates that this person is still alive. When a person dies their name will appear faded instead.” Her pupils darted around, skimming through the information present in front of her.

“Hmmm…Can you tell us when the guild was made?” Victor asks. Tatsuo and Sharon couldn’t help but point out in their heads how oddly invested Victor seemed to be about this.

Becca: …37 years ago….

Victor: What the heck?! He or she is old then!

Sharon: Not unless they registered a literal child or baby into a guild – She says chiming in.

Becca: It’s eerie. It’s almost as if somebody deliberately made and inserted this file into the database… But the only people I know of that could do this would be somebody from the higher echelon of the Guild Association…

‘And for what reason…?’ Becca thought to herself.

Becca: I’ve seen manually inputted information before…But none quite as strange as this one… Interestingly enough under ‘hometown’, it shows this person came from Argonaut.

Tatsuo: Argonaut?! – Tatsuo exclaimed, surprising Sharon.

Sharon: Do you know something?

Tatsuo: That’s the place I’m trying to get to. Someone told me I’d find something there.

Sharon furrows her brow. “…But you told me nobody knew anything about this person till now….”

Tatsuo: That was me just generalizing things…

***

* A flashback begins several years before when Tatsuo was a little boy.

A young injured Tatsuo stares off into a vast plain from a small grassy hill, as if lost in thought. His small body appears battered with several bruises, as though he just came out of a fierce battle. Sheen strokes of lime green color patterns through the grasses like waves. His dusted dried hair sways in the path of the cool breeze brushing against him.

Off to his side not too far from him, he spots a blonde woman in a white summer dress wearing a white summer hat. Tatsuo shied away from the idea of approaching the women, but he mustered up the courage to step up.

“Excuse me.” He said walking up to the women.

His voice snatched the attention of the women. She turns around, her golden hair brushing elegantly in the wind and shining more brightly as the rays from the sun reflect off it. No, even without the sun, her hair was already seemingly glowing in lavishing bright golden hues, with sparkles of light drifting from it. The grace in which the strands of her hair fluttered in the wind was enough to mesmerize anybody. Her flawless pale skin was nearly as white as the dress and hat that she wore. Alas, that hat covered her eyes, with only her nose and her vividly colored pink lips exposed as her facial features. However, one would infer just based on how unnaturally beautiful the woman was, that her eyes would be just as captivating as the rest of herself.

Tatsuo: Do you know where I can find a person named Veloren Aund Gerfuden?

The surprised expression of the mysterious lady softens into a warm smile. It almost seemed as if she was meeting a person she has not seen for a long time again.

???: I do.

The mysterious blonde woman daintily moves both her arms behind her back.

???: Go to a town called Argonaut.

“You’ll find an answer there.”

*Flashback fades to an end.

***

Tatsuo: Shortly after being transported here, a yellow haired woman told me to go to Argonaut saying there’s an answer there… Guess she wasn’t a total sham after all.

Tatsuo’s story left Sharon with questions in her head. ‘Transported…? From where, and how?’ She decides to simply dismiss these afterthoughts.

Sharon: Well lucky you, Argonaut isn’t too far from here… – She tells Tatsuo.

Becca: Is there anything else you guys would like to know?

Tatsuo: Ah, no, I think we’re fine. Knowing that there’s something at Argonaut is reassuring enough for me. Thanks.

Sharon: In that case I’m going to go around and ask the folks here about the Mardi Gracia.

Sharon runs off to begin her investigation in the guild hub. Meanwhile, Tatsuo notices Victor sitting at a table nearby by himself.

Tatsuo: You’re still here? You’re not going to get your map and leave?

Victor: This is a new place for me, I don’t want to get lost by myself trying to get a map.

Tatsuo: Hmm…I see…

Tatsuo: Wanna get something to drink then?

Victor:…Sure.