While Elijah doubted that, he was delighted. The place was cheap, indeed. He only paid thirty credits for a night and booked a room for the next few days. A meal only cost him five credits so Elijah added two daily meals for the next four days, spending two hundred in total for his accommodation. He had paid thrice as much for his room in Whisperwind.
After a surprisingly delicious meal, Elijah asked the owner about the rift and learned it was next to the Eternal Flames guild’s headquarters. He would go there after a quick shower.
Chapter Begin
The base of the Eternal Flames guild loomed over the surrounding buildings, following the pattern Elijah had seen before. The guild tried to display its mark where it could and designed its headquarters accordingly. The building stood in the form of a flame in the center of Ravenholm and Elijah could see the tip of the flame already several blocks away.
Numerous people were streaming toward the building and just as many were coming out of it. Elijah joined the stream of murmuring people and made his way into the giant flame-like building. He bumped against people left and right as he squeezed through the too-small entrance, arriving at a spacious entrance hall. People of all heights walked around him and Elijah barely managed to glimpse an information booth above people’s heads further down the hall.
His heavy weight and toughness were a great advantage, as the stream of people threatened to carry him away several times. Elijah put his hand on his pouch with his last 1930 credits and fought his way through the jostling while looking at the people around him. Most seemed to be ordinary citizens, Elijah suspected that many of them were submitting quests so that the guild would address their concerns. A large portion of those present also carried weapons, and Elijah assumed they were members of other guilds from other cities, independent adventurers or delvers, merchants, or other people. To his surprise, however, Elijah could also see quite a few members of the guild, who made up about a fifth of the crowd. The guild was huge, and clearly had more members than Lepus, at least at first impression. Is it always this crowded here, or did I catch the worst day of all?
His gaze wandered upward. Huge banners with the flame of the Eternal Flames Guild hung from the ceiling and countless spiral staircases led to higher floors. Elijah could sense the ranks of the surrounding people and realized that most were Tier 1 and 2. There were also several Tier 3s in his immediate vicinity and Elijah was amazed that just by walking into the building he had already met so many members of the guild. But that probably had to do with the fact that the guild was also responsible for public order in this city and enjoyed a lot of authority. The guild was already an integral part of the city, while Lepus, for example, had only been around for two or three years, if Elijah remembered correctly.
His expression fell when Elijah saw the line at the information center. There were several employees handling customers' requests, but each line had at least fifteen people waiting.
"Excuse me, I wanted to buy a slot for the rift," Elijah addressed a member of the guild who was walking past him. The young woman pointed to a staircase a little further away and replied, "Over there," before disappearing into the crowd.
Elijah was relieved that he didn't have to waste his time waiting and made his way to the stairs. It was a spiral staircase like all the others and led up to a platform that seemed as large as the entrance room of the Lepus Guild. Elijah briefly wondered how the many platforms could float in the air and looked up at other platforms from his higher position while staying on the right side during his ascent of the stairs. Guild members and others he encountered on the way down smiled or nodded at him before squeezing past him on the left side of the stairs. The stairs could definitely be a little wider.
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The other platforms seemed to be small offices and the only question Elijah had was how these people could work with such constant noise among them. When he entered the platform he was directed to, his question answered itself. With one step, the world below him fell silent and he could only hear the few conversations on the platform he was on. The difference was so abrupt that he stopped for a moment before joining a line of three people.
Elijah was proud of himself when he was able to decipher the writing above the employee in the guild's uniform. Rift Slot Purchase, it said. The employee was talking to a customer, who caught Elijah's eye with his mere appearance. Instead of hair, a turquoise flame burned on his head and his skin was a similar shade of blue. His fingers were noticeably lighter than the rest of his blue body. The man wore an orange cloak with short sleeves and tight deep blue pants that were the same color as the marks on his upper arms.
The second man in line was obviously human and not particularly interesting. Like Elijah, he wore a loop around his arm that showed his affiliation with a guild or organization, but from his position, Elijah could not see the mark. The man stood with his back to him and the only thing Elijah could see from behind was his brown short hair and the huge sword on his back.
The third man was a muscular giant who kept tapping his foot for the next ten minutes. He wore blood-red leather armor and a blade with several prongs hung at his side. The warrior muttered repeatedly to himself, complaining about the long wait but Elijah ignored him and looked around. The platform was huge but, aside from selling rift slots, served only to provide seating. The many seats were empty despite the abundance of people below.
"Finally!" The man in front of Elijah finally got his turn and slammed his hand on the counter. "Rick Tisbey, I'd like to return my slot."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," the employee declined while shaking his head after flipping through a small book in front of him. "Slots have to be canceled a week in advance, and even then you only get half the price back. Your slot is in three days."
His other fist landed on the counter as well, and despite Rick's loud voice, the employee neither flinched nor lost his cool. "My team has been disbanded, you can't expect me to go into the rift alone!"
"Sorry to hear that, but there's nothing I can do about it. Rules are rules."
Rick groaned and his hands ran over his face. "Another idiot frantically following guidelines," he muttered to himself. He spent several minutes trying to convince the relentless employee.
After Elijah had heard enough, he spoke up. "Can I make a suggestion?" The employee and Rick both looked at him while he turned to Rick and continued in a hushed voice, "Can I join your group and go into the rift without you?"
Rick glanced at the employee before turning and whispering to Elijah, "Our group paid 5000 credits for the slot. For 2000 credits, I'll get you in."
"1500, you've been at least three people and your share has been 1800 at most," Elijah replied. “And I want to go into the rift alone.”
Rick waved his hand. "You can do it, I'm tired of this rift." The giant put his arm around Elijah's shoulder and gently pulled him next to him before turning to the staff with a big grin on his face. "Sign my friend up for the group."
The staff member exchanged a glance with Elijah and picked up a pen after Elijah nodded his agreement. "What is your name and Tier?"
"Elijah Oak, Tier 2."
"If you please," the man pointed to a small device, indicating Elijah to put his hand on it. He noticed Elijah hesitate for a moment and added with a raised eyebrow, "To verify your identity."
After Elijah was signed into the group, Rick and he walked to one of the seating areas on the platform, where Elijah counted off 1500 credits and handed them to the man.
"Thanks, man, helped me out of an awkward situation. The slot is in three days. The other members of my group have already left town, no one will bother you," Rick said while putting the money in a small bag. He shook Elijah's hand, said goodbye and headed for the stairs.
Elijah also left the building and spent most of the next three days honing his skills and practicing reading. He also tested his new ability [Wooden Thorn] and became more familiar with [Devastating Blow]. On the morning of the third day, he was back in the Eternal Flame building, this time standing in front of the entrance to the Rift.