The Adventurers’ Guild
Part 1: The Guild Lobby
THE Adventurers’ Guild was full of people—adventurers, clients, staff, and so on. And it boasted all sorts of amenities, like a canteen, an in-house general store, even an annex with inexpensive rooms for adventurers to rent. In short, the rambling structure itself was a very lively place, and if you went around back, there was a spacious training ground too.
Oranz was a large, commercial city, and the country as a whole prioritized the adventuring community—depending on a city’s size and a country’s national policies, the number of facilities available to adventurers could be added to or decreased.
You didn’t need qualifications to become an adventurer, and though there were penalties if the authorities discovered a criminal background after the fact, they didn’t conduct a close investigation during the registration phase itself. It would be a different story if you were a known fugitive or a crime boss or something, but otherwise, the cost of checking into each and every registrant wasn’t worth it.
As an aspiring adventurer, all you needed to do was write down your name and age, pay a small registration fee, and voila, you were part of the adventurer community. The only additional fee was the cost of making a dog tag, which served as an ID of sorts for adventurers. You could easily save up that amount just by skipping a few meals.
There was a reason the door was wide open, so to speak, for adventurers. They were jacks-of-all-trades in a way, especially among those Rank 6 and below, some of whom had no desire to fight at all. They tended to be people who earned a living by doing menial jobs, or academic types who taught others. In short, adventurers were temps or day laborers by another name.
The Adventurers’ Guild often worked together with the Merchants’ Guild. The higher someone’s rank, the more trust was placed in them. That way, the Merchants’ Guild didn’t have to conduct background checks, plus it was an easy way to secure labor, so there was no reason not to work together.
Be that as it may, leading adventurers were, of course, the ones who fought outside the city. Quite a few folks became adventurers thanks to extravagant legends of stars in the field, but such up-and-comers first had to do their time accepting jobs from the guild and steadily building up their ranks before they could finally leave on adventures that took them away from the city.
The guild had several counters set up in the lobby, for registration, getting work, reporting results, and more. A woman stood at one of those counters. She was the center of everyone’s attention, with skin a dark brown and long, pointed ears. Her beautiful, silver hair, which hung down to her waist, complemented her other stunning features that contrasted with her odd clothing. Next to her was a Rank 2 adventurer who had quite a reputation around the city.
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I didn’t know how this world’s language had been implanted in my brain, but I could read and write its alphabet. While the ability was a lifesaver, I still felt a bit creeped out at the thought of someone or something fiddling with my brain’s language center.
I finished writing my name, but then I stopped when I got to the age and gender sections. I stared fixedly at those fields. Although I desperately wanted to circle the option for “man,” I also didn’t want to trouble the young lady at the counter, so I gave in and circled “woman.”
I was forty-three years old. However, that age too belonged to my former self. If I wrote it down, it would also put the receptionist in a weird position.
I stewed over the problem for a moment before finally asking for help from the pretty young woman with a bob who stood behind the counter.
“Um, how old do I seem to you?”
I knew I’d screwed up the minute the words left my mouth. It was the kind of question an annoying boss pestered his subordinates with at a drinking party. There was nothing more obnoxious than quizzing someone who couldn’t care less about your age. When the receptionist stared at me in confusion, I averted my eyes.
“She lost her memories, so she doesn’t know her age.”
Luckily for me, Ralf stepped in and ran interference.
“Oh, really?” the receptionist asked. “Then please wait here just a moment.”
Now that she understood the situation better, the young lady went into the office behind the counter and came back carrying a book. She trailed her finger down the table of contents, looking for what she wanted, then opened the book to a specific page, tracing the words with the same finger while reading silently. She gazed intently at my face for a few moments and snapped the book shut.
“Dark elves evidently wear cuffs once they reach the age of majority, which is eighteen. You aren’t wearing any, so it’s likely you’re not yet an adult. Therefore…I think the safest choice would be to write down a number below that.”
What a sharp young woman. She was more than just a pretty face, clearly capable of doing her work well, up to and including unexpected tasks. I complimented her profusely in my mind. I was sure individuals like her within the organization would go far in life. Unlike people like me who could only perform the duties they were given.
So I took her advice and wrote down seventeen on the application. When I submitted the piece of paper to her, Ralf paid the registration fee like it was the most natural thing in the world. I felt bad having someone so much younger than I was spend money on me, but I had no choice because I was penniless at the moment.
“Your dog tag will be ready by this evening,” the receptionist said. “Please come back again then. And we’re holding a seminar later today for new adventurers, so if you don’t have other plans, I recommend you attend it.”
Perfect. I asked her when and she told me it would take place in the afternoon. Then, when I mentioned wanting to brush up on things until then, she said I was free to use the reference room. Honestly, I’d expected a colder reception from the staff because of the dangers inherent in the title of “adventurer,” so I breathed a sigh of relief at the surprisingly warm treatment.
I was planning on staying in the same place all day, and I felt bad about keeping Ralf from whatever else he might be wanting to do. I bowed my head slightly at him as he stood next to me and I told him about my solo plans.
“Ralf, thank you so much for staying with me all this time,” I said. “I’ll spend today in the Guild. You must be busy yourself, so please tend to your own affairs.”
“I’ve stayed with you so far because I want to, you know.”
He sounded reluctant to leave, which was nice, but I couldn’t see any advantage to him remaining with me. Plus, wouldn’t he want time alone to cool his head after his earlier love confession? The young man seemed to mull things over for a bit before facing me to speak once more.
“I booked a week for you at the inn, so once you’re done for the day, feel free to head back over there.”
“Actually, about that…”
I’d already figured I could camp outside for the few days it would take me to make some money, but before I could tell him that, Ralf adroitly slipped through the throng of people inside the guild and exited the building. I thought about chasing after him, but I ultimately gave up because I lacked his skill at threading through crowds.
He had expertly indebted me to him again. Resigned, I scratched my head and walked toward the reference room the nice young lady had pointed out.