"Elysia!" Elysia said her name to the guard at the gate.
"Are you alright?" The gateman asked, looking at Elysia's pale complexion.
"Yes, thank you for asking" Elysia tried not to move her head too much because she felt extremely dizzy from the jostling and rattling of the wagon the entire journey over.
"Elysia of?" the gateman asked.
"of?" Elysia tilted her head.
"of Ov? I've never heard of a village of Ov." the gateman said.
"Neither have I," Elysia tried to keep her smile. The gatekeeper thought that this little girl was a simpleton. Leif was behind her slapping his palm on his forehead. He guessed that Elysia was from a remote village but why was she such a country bumpkin.
"To which part of Serendale do you hail, child?" the gateman clarified.
"of the Whispering Forest?" Elysia answered with a question, unsure if that was what the gateman asked for.
"She means your home! Where you live or where you were born!" Leif whispered.
"Is it where I live or where I was born?" Elysia asked Leif in a whisper.
"What are you talking about, they are the same!" Leif said.
"Well, I don't know where I was born, but I lived for some time in the Whispering Forest and Mr Jo's house." Elysia clarified.
"Just say you are from Grayridge! That's the place where the old man lives"
"Elysia of Grayridge" She smiled at the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper looked at her, his eyes lifeless and uncaring. "That'll be five silver coins."
"Here!" Elysia handed him five silver coins and the gatekeeper gave her an entry pass. It was a small parchment note stamped with the gatekeeper's seal.
Elysia returned to the wagon, recovering a little from motion sickness, smiling and looking at her paper that indicated "Elysia of Grayridge"
"Are you alright Elysia?" Hal asked when she alighted the wagon with a slight wobble to her step.
"Yes, I'm fine Hal!" Elysia said trying to keep her breakfast down.
"You look sicker than when we traveled through the teleportation scroll. Should we take a break?" Sal looked at her with much concern.
"No, I think the road from here is less bumpy, so I'll be fine. But more importantly, look." Elysia showed her first identification card which said Elysia of Grayridge.
"You used Grayridge, I should have used Grayridge as well," Sal looked at his own ID.
"But we're from Nawapakid," Hal pointed out.
"Well yeah but if we used Grayridge like Elysia, then we can seem like one family!" Sal explained.
Hal realized his twin had a good point. They both nodded at each other, agreeing to an unspoken understanding brought by their twin telepathy. They're changing their address.
"No Refunds, No Changes" The Gateman held the signage and closed the peephole of the document office.
"No wait stop!" The twins chorus trying to pry the gate open.
"Leif do you not need to get one?" Elysia asked.
"I don't need one since I'm an adventurer and I also don't pay toll fees to every city gate," he showed his identification card, and it read:
Leif of the Waymount Hill
Boundless Guild - G Rank
Another gatekeeper opened the gate after carefully checking each of their identification, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the documents. Satisfied, he gave a curt nod and stepped aside, allowing the heavy gates to creak open. Soon, their wagon was rolling much more steadily towards Arvandale.
Elysia and the twins' gaze widened, it was a big city. To the twins, it was unlike anything they'd seen before. Elysia, however was reminded of huge structures and castles from her distant memories. Unlike the small village square of Grayridge, this city had towering stone walls and various homes and signage. The street was vibrant and chaotic and unlike anything she'd seen. Stalls lined the edges of the wide thoroughfare, packed so tightly that the merchants' goods seemed to spill into the street.
"Look Elysia!" Hal pointed out, "You can see the Lord's castle from here!"
Elysia looked at the grand castle looming over the city. "Are we headed there?"
"No, we're headed to the guilds right now, but do you think we can enter that castle?" Sal also from a remote village asked adjusting his position to see the castle.
"I don't know, it does look really big though! It's bigger than the entire Nawapakid village." Hal compared the giant city to their small village.
Leif raised his eyebrows realizing these three truly are a bunch of country bumpkins, "That's the castle it's where the Lord of the city resides, unless you are a noble or a special envoy you're not allowed to set foot there.
"Then there's the Inner ring," Leif pointed at the gate that had an even paved road. "Those who go there are nobility and special envoys. That's where the nobles and noble-born adventurers reside. It's quieter there—well, as quiet as a city full of adventurers gets."
"Where are we now?" Elysia asked curious.
"This is the Outer Ring, it's where all the craftspeople, traders, and workers live. Blacksmiths, tanners, alchemists, even a few shady merchants—everyone's packed in close. The markets are loud, the forges are hotter than the sun, and there's always something being built or fixed."
Vendors shouted over one another, waving exotic wares: glinting swords and daggers, colorful vials of potion bubbling softly, and pelts from beasts she didn't recognize. The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with something more foreign—spices that prickled her nose and roasted meats that made her stomach rumble.
Leif looked at Elysia and in a whisper he said, "Don't go showing off your bag of coins in dark corners of this place you hear!"
Hal placed a hand between them "Hey G-Ranker! Don't get too close!"
Leif was startled, "Hey you little twerp! Can't you see I'm driving this wagon?"
"Grandfather said to keep scum like you away from Elysia!" Sal poked Leif on the chest although Leif was a head taller than him.
"What's that big gate?" Elysia asked, completely ignoring the three bickering, as their wagon neared a huge gate.
"This is the gate to the Middle Ring, most guilds have their headquarters here, there are also merchant guilds and homes of high-ranking adventurers. We're dropping off this lumber first so I can get my guild quest signed." Leif said reviewing their itinerary.
"What's over there?" Elysia pointed to a beautifully organized row of houses close to the inner ring.
"Those are Merchant and high-ranking adventurers' homes. Some knights and clerks that serve the city Lord also live there."
"Merchants?" Elysia looked at the neatly rowed houses and thought that the merchant class seemed like they had decent living quarters.
"Can anybody become a merchant?" Elysia asked Leif. Thinking about ways to earn more money. While the money she found was in her possession the original owner might need it back when they meet again so it would be best to earn some.
"I suppose so as long as you have capital and business, though it's not easy," Leif explained.
"Don't you want to become adventurers like us, Elysia?" Sal asked.
"If you join us we can be adventurers, form a party, and go on quests!" Hal seconded.
"We can even travel the continent and earn a lot of gold conquering dungeons. We can go to the sea!" Sal said with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"If you travel around I'm sure you'll be able to find clues about the person you were looking for" Hal added.
"Dungeons? Have you been to a dungeon before Leif, What's life like as an adventurer?" Elysia asked.
"It's not that glorious as the two make it out. You seem pretty decent as a tamer with your two Lupinaras, but I doubt a softie like you would ever put those two in danger. You can't even manage a wagon ride, I can only imagine how you'd do on quests." Leif assessed.
"I guess you're right - " Elysia realized Leif's words were true.
"Hey! You don't know anything? Elysia's pretty strong!" Sal confronted.
"Yeah, I bet Elysia can take you on with her eyes closed" Hal provoked Leif more.
"Hey quit it! Can't you see I'm driving!" Leif said trying to balance the wagon between the twins who was elbowing him from either side.
Elysia clutched the side of the wagon as it swerved to avoid a group of adventurers huddled together, maps unfurled between them. "Hey! Don't just cross the street like that, watch where you're going!" Leif shouted.
"You should be more careful, what if you get hurt, Elysia!" Hal complained
"Yeah what kind of adventurer are you, you can't even drive a wagon properly!" Sal piled on.
Elysia was just in a world of her own. Her eyes darted across the crowded streets filled with adventurers of all kinds—some young and eager, others drunk and rowdy, clad in either gleaming armor or worn, leather-bound gear.
"There are so many adventurers out, is it always this crowded?" Elysia asked.
"It's not this crowded usually, it's recruitment season, guilds usually go all out to showcase their strength and power to have adventurers join their guild."
"Wow look at that guild!" Sal's eyes widened as he pointed to an enormous stone building adorned with banners fluttering in the wind, each emblazoned with a roaring Gryffin crest. Rows of armored adventurers stood in perfect formation outside, weapons gleaming under the sun.
"Don't even get your hopes up, you can only join that Guild if you are a noble or an S-Class recruit," Leif said with an air of experience in his statement.
"Who's that on a palanquin? Is she a princess or something?" Elysia was in awe of the beautiful young lady who was being carried gracefully in an ornate palanquin, her bearers straining under the weight as she watched the scene below with an air of detached elegance.
"Who knows, but it looks like she's a mage," Leif said observing the wand that the woman was carrying.
"We've already decided which guild we want to join," Hal said
"Oh? Which one is that?" Leif asked feigning interest.
"The guild our uncle and grandfather are a part of" Sal answered.
"The Boundless Guild!" the twins chorused.
*****
"So this is the Boundless Guild," Peytra from the Colemoore Guild enters the Guild Hall with a commanding presence, the few adventurers shudder at her presence. Whispers float through the air.
"Isn't that Peytra?" a Nino asked.
"Who? Never heard of her" a recruit whispered back
"What do you live under a rock or something?" Thomas asked
"That's Peytra she has a notorious reputation, for taking what she pleases, she's Colemoore's top mage!" Nino looked at Peytra who had a look of power.
"She was a B-rank mage at the age of 8!" Thomas begun,
"What she's a B-Rank mage?" The recruit felt a high level of astonishment.
"No! Of course not how can she be Colemoore's top mage if she was just a B-rank mage, I heard she trained for 10 years and joined numerous subjugations so last year she got an A-Rank level during the Ranking ceremony!" Nino elaborated.
"She's a genius among Geniuses!"Thomas nodded his head.
Among the rowdy whispers, Rin was eating his lunch at the guild hall again, waiting for Leif to come back from his quest. A decent meal was something he was relishing after receiving compensation for Guild Master Bridge's neglect of service. And getting a huge sum from selling the Mana stone. He could not help but wonder about the powerful creature that took down the A-Rank dungeon monster.
The notorious beauty approached the Guild reception, smiling with a foxy look in her eyes.
"Hello, Welcome to the Boundless Guild, How can I help you today?" Flora, not intimidated by Peytra's presence, gave her usual cheery greeting.
"I'm here to see the Guild Master - "
"I'm afraid the Guild Master is," Flora thought of her words carefully, thinking how to rephrase: Guild Master was on probation so he's out finding recruits for the Vice Guild Master, without damaging the reputation of the guild. ".. Is indisposed."
"I see then, is the Vice Guild Master here today?"
"Yes, she is, but she's attending to some guild affairs. Shall I schedule an appointment for you?"
"It's a rather urgent request," She said handing Flora a quest parchment.
Flora read it and the contents made her cherry demeanor change into one of urgency, "Please come this way."
The nearby guild members, who had been casually observing, froze mid-conversation. It was rare—unheard of—for Flora, the ever-unfazed receptionist, to show anything but calm professionalism when handling quests. Yet, in that brief moment, her cheerful demeanor slipped, replaced by a flicker of urgency. The change was so subtle it could have been missed, but those who did notice exchanged knowing looks.
"What do you think she's here for?" the recruit asked.
"You don't think she's here for that, do you?" Thomas looked at Nino. Thinking about the last quest with Colemoore.
"I don't think so, it couldn't be!" Nino said concern written all over his face.
"A Guild Challenge? Could that Miliseyo guy really issue such a thing!" Thomas whispered.
"There's no way he'd be a fool to do that. Rin saved his life twice" Nino and Thomas looked at Rin who was still peacefully enjoying his meal. Rin looked at them, his face unconcerned.
"Rin!" Flora's usually cheery demeanor returned with a slightly urgent undertone that she hid very well. "Rin Vice Guild Master is calling for you"
Rin froze mid-bite of his fresh bread, ready to bolt - "Tell her I'm busy - "
That's when a flurry of shuriken made a sharp and loud thud at his feet. His gaze snapped to Flora, who calmly revealed the glinting metal she'd been hiding behind her back. "I don't think I said if it pleases your Highness," she said smiling but you could see a vein on her temple bulging from frustration.
"But I don't want to look at recruits anymore, everyone thinks I'm the creepy guy lurking around the recruits" Rin grumbled as Flora drags him from the guild hall into the Master's office.
The rest of the guild members quickly exchanged whispers, trying to understand why Rin had been summoned so suddenly. Some speculated it was another mission, while others wondered if he had somehow gotten into trouble again.
Flora knocked once and announced, "Vice Guild Master Lyra. Rin is here!"
"Please let him in, Flora" Lyra called out.
The Guild Master's office is a constant state of chaos despite Vice Guild Master and other Guild attendant's efforts to keep it organized. A grand oak desk where the Guild Master usually sits is empty. The desk is covered in an assortment of parchments and ledgers, while an enchanted quill scratches furiously at an endless sheet of parchment, adding to the scattered yet purposeful atmosphere.
Floating artifacts—glowing runes, spinning compasses, and miniature maps—hover unpredictably around the room, their constant motion a testament to the Guild's unrelenting activity.
The towering bookshelf hums with magic as books and scrolls float gracefully, shifting and rearranging themselves with purpose. Glowing orbs dart between the shelves, dusting covers and nudging items into perfect order, creating a mesmerizing rhythm of motion and organization.
A well-used coffee table and two lounge chairs were positioned across from the Master's desk, on one side sat Vice Guild Master Lyra, and on the other side - SWOOSH!
Rin tilted his head effortlessly avoiding a flying ice-spear by a hair's length.
The mage Peytar from Colemoore smiled mischievously, "He is quite talented I must say."
"He is mediocre, a C-Rank Weapon class adventurer," Lyra said calmly sipping her cup of tea.
"Are you really the C-Ranker at the joint guild quest?" Peytra feigning being cordial.
"Yes, and who might you be?" Rin said impetuously.
Peytra laughed hearing those questions for the first time in a long time, "Everyone knows who I am but you don't? I am Peytra an A-Rank Mage of Colemoore, the sister of the girl you saved during the forest clearing."
Rin tries to recall that day, there were a lot of Colemoore guild members, and wondered which person was she referring to.
"The C-Rank Mage of Colemoore - Paula" Peytra supplied, "I heard you were quite outstanding in the clearing operations hitting a Skrethling with just one hit. Did you really take down the Skerthling?"
"I did hit the final blow - " Rin started.
Lyra gave him a death stare as if to convey,"Why the heck did you not report this to me earlier? "
Leif gave her a shrug that said, "You never asked."
"Impossible one hit and it died?!" Peytra slammed her fist on the table. She pulled out her wand and raised it to Rin, but he did not flinch.
"You better not lie to me, boy. Do you know how hard we tried to even take one down? And you tell me you took one down with just one hit?"
"I did, though" he said nonchalantly, not fearing the wand pointed at him.
"Then that would mean your rank is higher than an A rank! You selfish jerk if you're that skilled you should go on high-level quests and contribute to Serendale. Don't just selfishly stay in one rank!" Peytra said her voice filled with frustration.
"I did take it down, but I didn't deal that much damage to the creature," Rin said in an icy tone, holding this woman's stare.
"What do you mean?" Peytra asked.
"That Skerthling was relatively weak when I hit it," Rin explained.
"Impossible! If that thing was weak my sister could've taken it out!" Peytra said, unconvinced with Rin's explanation.
"She used a huge amount of mana that day, attacking that thing could have been fatal for her, she cast a shield on the entire party against the Gloomspire Harriers. The Skerthling's body had significant fire damage like it was burnt."
"Impossible, that thing is hell fire incarnate, how could it be burnt?" Peytra unconvinced.
Rin shrugged "All I know is, I did hit that Skerthling's Mana stone but that hit was only meant to distract the creature enough to save the mage. I wasn't expecting to take it down."
Peytra narrowed her eyes, "You better answer honestly, boy"
"Why would I lie about that? And why would I remain C-Rank if I can rank up? Ranking up means getting more high-earning quests. Since you're a mage I guess you never had the hard life. Have you ever chosen between a warm meal or a roof over your head?" Rin began his voice starting to ring "Be at death's door but still go on a quest? Have you ever walked until your feet go blistered? Or sew your boots because the sole had holes in it?"
Peytra slowly backed away, his reasoning somehow convinced her he was telling the truth.
"Believe me, if I had a higher rank I would be doing higher-ranked quests" Rin pointed out, and Peytra lowered her wand. Lyra in the background frozen at Rin's sudden confession about the economic constraints of the members of their guild.
"What you say makes sense, when was your last re-ranking?" Peytra asked her voice completely mellow now after Rin's impactful dialogue.
"Miss Peytra," Lyra said placing down her cup, "Re-ranking of our guild members is none of Colemoore's concern. I believe you came to verify how he was able to take down a Skerthling with one hit and you have your answer. If you do not have any other business" She stood to open the door.
Peytra gave a knowing look, "I get it, you're short on money"
That word hit a nerve, and Lyra tried to hide her annoyance, "The resources of our guild and how we prioritize our funds is also not a concern of Colemoore."
"Hey, if you're short on money you can just ask the old man he's more than happy to give you some," Peytra said without any animosity, heading towards the door. "Which reminds me, when the Guild Master was away, the old man managed to sneak this away and told me this would be a good compensation to your guild."
"Compensation?" Lyra took the pile of parchment from Peytra.
Peytra shrugged "Compensation for how Guild Master's son behaved - causing disturbance to the clearing operation."
"Colemoore's Guild Master's son - you mean Miliseyo?" Lyra placed the parchment down.
"Aside from Skerthling's takedown, I'm most impressed how you managed a quest with Miliseyo - I couldn't last 2 hours with that kid." Peytra complimented Rin.
"Thank you, I've dealt with someone like him before," Rin said thinking of his hot-tempered party leader Leif.
"This is my gift to you as thanks for saving my sister," Peytra threw a bag to Rin and gave him a foxy smile again, her voluptuous lips giving him a cat-like purr "If you ever plan on changing guilds, come find me at Colemoore."
"Flora, please see the guest out." Lyra slammed the door at Peytra,
"Wow, there's a lot in here," Rin opened the bag of coins.
"You little rascal! Have you no sense of pride? Why didn't you just tell her we're dirt poor while you're at it!" Lyra had Rin in a chokehold.
"Money comes first!" Rin said as he counted the coins turning purple on Lyra's hold.
"Then why did you not tell me about the Skerthling?" Lyra questioned him.
"You never really asked, and shouldn't the party leader be the one reporting to you on that quest?" Rin said, still counting his coins serving through Lyra's choke hold.
"You know what this means don't you!?" Lyra asked Rin.
Rin raised his eyebrows, confused, "No, not really"
"That means there's a fire mage out there capable of defeating a Skerthling," Lyra said, her eyes burning with resolution.
"I don't think so, it could've been another creature entirely. Who would be foolish enough to face one in the middle of a Red Zoned area?" Rin
"No my gut is telling me a person made major damage to that thing! Let's go!" Lyra dragged Rin outside.
"Where are we going?" Rin on the floor, being dragged by his collar, still clinging to his money.
"We're searching for more recruits! A powerful mage! A powerful mage! We've got to have them in our guild no matter what!!" Lyra said passionately.
"Vice Guild Master, the Master is - " Flora started to say.
"Not now Flora, I need to take Rin to find more recruits!" Lyra slams the guild doors shut, leaving the entire guild hall silent.
The door opened again Lyra angrily cursed her husband, "Tell that big oaf to look at the documents given by the Colemoore!" and then Lyra slammed the guild doors again.
"Are you paying me?" Rin asked.
"Why is money the only thing on your mind?!" was what the guild members heard before the guild hall fell into chaotic whispers, trying to understand what happened.
****
"What did the Vice Guild Master do?" Leif said a moment later when they got to the Boundless Guild reception.
"You just missed him, the Vice Guild Master took Rin," Flora explained to Leif. The group finally arrived at the Boundless Guild and Leif was settling his quest details with Flora and inquiring after Rin.
"I see. Could you tell him I'll be at the Rusted Tankard?" Leif said, collecting his quest payment.
"He said he reserved a room for you both at the Moonlit Kettle - " Flora directed Leif.
"The Moonlit Kettle? That's pretty fancy even for him, who was always tight with his purse strings." Leif shocked.
"Actually he did get good compensation for what happened to you because of the Rootling incident, he filed for an adventurer's compensation due to Master's neglect."
"What? He filed for one?!" Leif was shocked at this information.
"That guy manages to cross his t's and dot his I's, by the way, who are those people with you?" Flora asked, looking at the three people behind Leif.
"These people have business with the Guild, so I'll leave them to you" he pointed to Hal and Sal who were still clinging to Elysia, now keeping the other Guild members away from Elysia.
"Hello my name is Elysia of Grayridge, these are Hal and Sal" Elysia made the introduction.
"Hello welcome to Boundless Guild. I am Flora the guild receptionist, how can I help you with?" Flora said smiling noticing how gentle and sweet Elysia looked. Flora felt refreshed seeing a sweet new face.
"Well, this is the letter from Grandpa Jo explaining the details for Hal & Sal he said to give this to to Vice Master Lyra" Elysia handed the letter to Flora.
"Ah! You must be the recruits from Mr. Jo?"
"Recruits?" Aaron, the Guild's training master peeked his head.
"Yes, Recruits from Mr. Jo" Flora said her hand presenting Hal and Sal as if they were a packaged that arrived on time.
"Twins? You're Jo's grandsons, aren't you? And who's this?" Aaron looked at Elysia who was standing at the center of the twins.
"Hello I'm Elysia of Grayridge, I'm well - " Elysia thought carefully of how she should introduce himself to others. While Mr. Jo asked her to call him grandfather, does that mean that he allowed her to introduce herself as granddaughter?
"Of Grayridge? Your from the Old man's Funny you don't look anything like Jo, are you all planning to become adventurers?"
"Well No I - " Elysia responded.
A blade pointed at Aaron's neck, "Hey! Who do you think you are coming so close to Elysia like that?"
"Back-off!" Hal hit 2 acupuncture points, which was meant to make Aaron stop moving.
"Ohoh! You two are indeed Jo's grandsons, what did your grandpa always say to me when he was training me? Assess the situation and never underestimate your opponent!"
The twins backed off a little. Aaron's menacing figure loomed in's shadow,
"Im-impossible you shouldn't be able to move!" Hal wondered if he made a mistake in his technique.
"Did you realize that the sword you pointed at was your trainer? Since you're both eager to join our guild I shouldn't let you down! Let's get to training!" Aaron dragged the two to Guild training hall.
"Where is he taking them?" Elysia asked, feeling like she was a mom sending her kids to daycare.
"Don't worry, Sir Aaron is a Master Instuctor he's rather passionate about recruitment season. We've been expecting them. As for the letter I'll give this to Vice Master Lyra when she returns. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Yes, I actually needed help posting a quest, I am looking for a person called "Master" who owns a hut in the Whispering Forest..."
Elysia proceeded to file the quest providing details such as possible location, description, and reward quest.
By the time she was finished Leif was already outside of the Guild, the reins of the wagon in his hands. "Well here you go, good luck to you!" Leif handed the reins.
"Wait, actually—" Elysia called out to him. "There's one more thing I wanted to give you."
She pulled out the sturdy cloak she had bought from Grayridge merchant and held it out to him. "Since you won't let me compensate you for the shield, please take this cloak."
Leif stiffened, his ears turning red. "There's no need. I already collected the reward, so—" He hesitated, glancing at the cloak, then back at Elysia. This was the first time a client had given him something extra. It felt... personal.
"Please take it, I insist!" Elysia urged. Then, without missing a beat, she continued, "And actually, there's something else. I wanted to ask you something—something personal."
Leif felt heat rush to his face. A myriad of thoughts came rushing in:
Something personal? Was this... a confession?
His mind raced.
Sure, they had spent some time at Mr. Jo's place and even shared a wagon ride. He had heard this story before—young, impressionable girls falling for strong adventurers like him.
Was that why Mr. Jo, Hal, and Sal were so protective of Elysia? Because she had feelings for him? And now, she was going out of her way to give him something meaningful.
But he couldn't. No matter how beautiful she looked, he couldn't promise her his heart—not when the call for tank adventurer could take him anywhere.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He had prepared for this moment. As a tank his muscular physique and protective nature was bound to attract a woman or two. And this... this would be his first letdown.
It was just cruel that it had to be someone as beautiful as her.
Wait.
Did he just think she was beautiful?
Wait—what!?
Elysia, completely unaware of the internal chaos that was running on Leif's mind, continued, "Do you know someone called 'Master'?"
Leif blinked. "...What?"