Chapter 50 - New Recruit

After the short registration process of simply handing them my card and waiting, I was brought a one-page contract to sign in order to join the guild.

The terms were fairer than I was expecting, I wasn't expected to share any loot, only forfeit a ten percent fee to the guild as an 'intermediary fee'. I also had to be careful to introduce myself on any jobs as a member of the guild and try my utmost to 'uphold the reputation' of the establishment.

I mean, it makes sense why guilds are so stressed about reputation. No one is gonna want to hire a guild without any name behind them, but it kind of turns adventuring and guild work into a bit of a popularity contest.

I'm also betting the strict rule of introducing yourself as a guild member is what lead to Ivy telling me so much, that introduction was just ingrained at that point. How quaint.

With no real thought needed, I sign the contract, and the bottom left of my adventurer identification card begins to glow with a faint light.

Written in the same script as the rest of the card is the name 'Hunter's Mark'.

"Oh, it updates your I.D when you join a guild? What if you join multiple?" I ask the quite short clerk, who happily answers my question.

"If you're in multiple, it'll change between the two with a faint glow every few minutes. Same with your party name in the bottom right." The short stack said with a calm smile.

Walking away from the reception counter, I headed back to sit and talk with Ivy, surprised to find a third guest had taken up a chair.

Now, I'm not saying Ivy is ugly, in fact, she's actually quite good-looking. However, comparing her to the newest arrival, zero contest.

No taller than 156cm, small frame, glowing orange and red hair than danced as if it was a gentle curtain of fire, olive skin with cute oval features, and a body that looks both sculpted out of marble and soft as a cloud. An absolute bombshell has stumbled upon our table.

I need this woman to join our party.

"Well well well, Ivy. I didn't know you had friends, let alone cute ones." Fuck! Why did I say that!

That is the cheesiest line you could imagine! I've been out of the game too long!

"I could ask her the same, since when did you start hanging around cute guys?" The flame-queen said with a lovely smile and equally cute chuckle.

Ivy, however, was having absolutely none of it.

"Antonio, don't try and hit on my friend, and Flare, don't hit on the ice monster." Ivy scoffed. Flare? What a perfect name.

"Flare? What a perfect name, it matches your hair perfectly." I say, speaking my mind and grabbing a seat.

"Antonio? What a perfect name, it's strong, and from what I've heard from our mutual friend here, so are you." Flare said, sticking her hand out for a handshake. "The name's Flare, I'm a swordsman and half fire-spirit."

"As Ivy said, my name is Antonio. I'm a magician, and I think I'm half Tiamat." I consider myself to be at this point, I mean, that family was more of a real family than my old one. I spent more than half my life with them, was given my last name by them, and was accepted by them.

"Oh? Was your mother a brave woman or your father a foolish man?" Flare said with a small chuckle. She wasn't taken aback by that?

Even better. I couldn't stand if someone who looked this good was so weak-willed to be turned away by a little family matter.

"My father was a Tiamat named Gust, and my mother was a very strong woman," I say, both of which are true.

I know my birth mother was a force to be reckoned with, as now that I know that leaking magic is something that just happens when you have a lot, I can tell my mother had a little more than she let on of the stuff.

"Well Antonio, it's a pleasure to meet you. I was just talking with Ivy here about convincing her to hopefully party with me, only for her to shoot me down by saying she was already starting one with an 'Ice monster' and his boss. I take it you're the supposed monster?" She said, with another chuckle and a flick of her hair.

Marry me.

"Guilty as charged, however, our party as of now is only two strong, and we need a vanguard. Would you mind becoming our third?" I say, hoping to land this bombshell and a capable swordsman all in one.

We won't even have to go party searching at this rate! Finally, my luck seems to be on an upswing.

"I'd love to. I'm a Dux Tier swordsman in both Western Imperial and Western Rabid style. My current rank is B-rank." She said with a smug grin of superiority.

"Dux tier in two styles? I don't quite know the different styles, but that does give me some faith in you, that, and your rank. As you can probably assume, I'll be acting as your party leader." I say, sticking my hand out for a handshake, copying Ego's easy-going grin. "I'm Dux tier in wind and earth magic and a Water Legate."

Four to five emotions mix on both Ivy's and Flare's faces, Flare's being mostly positive and Ivy's negative.

"Why are you lying to Flare? You're an Earth Legate as well as a Water Legate." Ivy said in an indignant tone, just as I was happily shaking Flare's calloused and practiced hand. I really ought to stop ogling at Flare, Teresa and Ivy may jump me.

"You claim that, yet I don't know any legate tier earth spells. The only legate tier spells I know are water spells." I say, glaring at Ivy, only to be met with an even sharper glare back.

"Entomb? Ya know, the spell you used to sink a few hundred pounds of dirt as well as most of Silent Night?" She said, her lips curling into a snarl. Hey, I thought we weren't holding grudges! A new leaf and all that!

"That wasn't any specific spell, just an application of earth and water magic. Same with the chair." I say, snickering without breaking eye contact with Ivy.

"I feel like I'm missing a large part of this story, mind catching me up?" Flare said, which was followed by a ten-minute story from both and Ivy about the events that lead up to this moment.

"So basically, you and your party got rinsed by basically just our Leader here, but he took pity on you, and let you go. In exchange, you helped him join the guild and are gonna help him with the rest of his job. Enemies turned allies and eventually friends, that what you had in mind?" Flare said, giving Ivy a huge side-eye.

"Essentially, minus the friends part. At most, we're loose work acquaintances." Ivy said with a deep sigh.

"Now that that's out of the way, still on board to join?" I say as Flare's face turns back towards my own.

"Absolutely. So, what's this little party going to be called?" Flare asks, yet I already have the perfect name picked out.

"Come on, let's go get registered." I say as Flare, Ivy, and I walk towards the counter labeled 'Party Registration'.

///

Stepping out of the Guild Hall, my new companions in tow, I realize it's been at least an hour and a half since I walked in with Ivy.

The bouncer is still here, and although his body is completely healed and fine, the tears and rips in his armor betray his calm smile.

Teresa is pissed, and nowhere to be seen.

"Well, let's go find our employer, shall we?" I say as we set off towards the mansion Teresa and I have been staying in.