Chapter 3 | Finzia City and Lanakiller Guild
“WELL, we made it. Welcome to Finzia, our home!” Ektor tells us as he leads us through the main gates, Popo’s reins in hand. It’s not just Ektor who seems in good spirits. Rinny and Macro seem happier than usual as well. It’s clear how proud they are of their city.
Finzia, huh? I guess this is our new home, too, starting today.
“Oh! Welcome back, Guild Lanakiller,” the guard at the gate speaks up, looking over at us. “Who are your new friends?”
Lanakiller?
“That’s the name of our guild.” Seeing my confusion, Rinny quickly tells me that.
Oh, so THAT’S what they’re called. I’ll keep that in mind.
“They hail from that fox village,” Ektor explains to the guard. “We’ll get them registered once we’re settled in, but this should cover them for now.”
“That’s four silver coins for two folks. Thanks a lot.”
Huh? You have to pay to get in? And why did Ektor pay for us?! Claire seems unusually calm, contrary to my inner turmoil. Wait, is she actually…smiling?
“Don’t worry, Miku. It’s only a temporary charge. Once both of us are official guild members, they’ll get the deposit back, since then we’ll be official residents here! We owe them, but for now, they’ll have to make do with a simple thank you since we wouldn’t have been able to get in otherwise,” Claire snorts like having to thank Ektor is the worst thing in the world.
Those two get along like oil and water. It’s hard for me not to crack a wry smile at how poorly they get along. I know full well I shouldn’t fall in love with Ektor, but there’s nothing wrong with simply being friends, right? Claire’s attitude is a bit much, but at least she seems to be showing gratitude…I think? I’m not sure if that got across to him, though.
“Thank you, Ektor,” I say, to make sure he knows we’re grateful. “I’m still not familiar with the rules here.”
I made sure to thank him myself and to let him know we’re ignorant of how things are done here. I don’t want to stay in the dark about stuff if I don’t have to. Ektor went to the trouble of befriending us and bringing us here, so the least I can do is learn more about my new home.
“You can learn as things come up. I’ll be sure to teach you what you need to know too!” Ektor’s lighthearted smile as he answers me is simply too cool. His silky, smooth golden locks make him look like a prince from a far-off country, although, to be fair, I’ve only ever seen princes in books.
I suddenly notice how all the young women around us are looking at Ektor.
His sparkling personality can’t help but draw everyone’s attention! I, more than anyone, know how true that is!
Preoccupied with that thought, I realized we were suddenly in the heart of the city. The bustling streets, so full of shops and houses, causes me to gasp in surprise, my tail wagging from side to side in excitement.
There are just so many people! It seems like such an obvious statement, but I’ve never seen this many people before in one spot, and so many different races, too! How could I not be excited? We’d grown up living in a small village, surrounded by folks just like us. Although I’m not a stranger to other races, there are certainly some I’d never seen with my own eyes until this moment.
“Hey, Ektor. Is it okay if we head on home?” Rinny asks.
“Sure. I have to get Popo settled, so why don’t you take these two with you?”
Ektor goes on to tell us that the stables aren’t too far off and that he’ll be back soon. With a wave goodbye, he heads off with Popo while we start in the opposite direction with Rinny and Macro.
But wait, didn’t Rinny ask to go home?
“Does that mean you all live together in one house?” I turn to ask Rinny, confused.
“Yeah, we’re heading back to the guild. That’s where we live, so that makes it our home, right?”
“Your guild is also your home? Neat,” I respond.
So, they really do all live together. It probably has a lot of advantages. Everyone’s always around in case you need to talk about anything important, and being able to communicate quickly and efficiently is pretty convenient. Plus, I’m sure it’s easier to bond with someone you spend most of your time around.
“Yep. Although, the way you’re talking, you’re acting like this isn’t going to be your home, too,” Rinny points out.
“Oh, yeah? My ho— Wait! WHAT?!” I yelp in surprise, blindsided by his words. As I struggle to keep my voice down, Rinny, temporarily surprised by my outburst, suddenly erupts in peals of laughter.
Huh? Wait! You don’t have to laugh THAT hard!
“Rinny! Stop laughing and explain.” Macro, who’d been silent until now, watches Rinny through eyes tinged with annoyance.
I wish I could look at him the same way. He’s laughing way too hard!
But all he can do is apologize between giggles, his explanation quickly going nowhere. I huff, puffing my cheeks in frustration, and with a disgruntled sigh, Macro takes over.
“Our guild is actually fairly spacious. In other words, we have plenty of rooms. More than enough to accommodate the two of you.”
“Haha! Right, right! There are a couple of common areas where we can spend time together, but also private rooms with locks, so there’s no need to worry,” Rinny finishes, a bit teary-eyed from all the laughter.
I see. When they’d mentioned home, I’d envisioned the house I’d lived in until now. Our house only had two bedrooms and a living room. We didn’t even have locks on our front door, much less our rooms! Country and city life really are very different. I guess that’s partly why I’d been so flustered by the idea of us all living together in one home.
As I idly begin imagining what it might be like to live with three men, none of whom I know that well…
Ugh! I’m blushing again!
“Don’t worry. If anyone tries to sneak in, we’ll get ’em!” Rinny boasts. “The folks ’round here aren’t stupid enough to mess with us anyway.”
So, there’s no need to worry about outsiders? Still, this will be the first time I’ll be living together with strangers, let alone of the opposite sex, and I can’t help worrying a little.
I can’t bring myself to say anything about that, though, as Rinny chatters on about how he’ll keep us safe with a carefree smile, patting my head all the while.
Be a little gentler, Rinny!
“You really are a thick-headed oaf, Rinny. At any rate, feel free to use any of the gadgets we have in the house,” Macro speaks up as he slips past us without making eye contact. I glance over at Claire and we grin at each other.
“Despite his unfriendly display, Macro really is a nice person deep down,” Claire says.
This must be something else related to the game. I guess Macro is supposed to be kind and considerate. His aloofness is pretty off-putting, but I’d already told myself not to judge people by how they initially appear. Granted, I’m not about to believe everything Claire tells me about these so-called game mechanics and character profiles, but making unfair assumptions about others isn’t great either. I have to be more careful.
“And here we are,” Rinny says. “Hey, wait! Where are you two going? That’s one house too far!”
“Come back a few steps,” Macro calls out to us.