Chapter 85: The Meet-up (2)

Following Mary's advice, Lily walked up the stairs and walked to the meeting room. It had a large double door as the room was used for large-scale gatherings, like large party gatherings, strategy meetings, or events like these, where new recruits are welcomed.

Arriving in front of the big, stylish double door, Lily gasped at the motifs decorating the edges. They showed various moments where the stylized little heroic figure triumphed over its enemy. The enemy varied from scene to scene, but they were mirrored at the other side, giving the door a regal, almost holy feel. 

Pushing the handles down, Lily slowly pushed the door open and gazed at the large ballroom that was filled with all kinds of people. Although she was sure that the huge crowd from downstairs had been trimmed down quite a bit, it was still an astonishing amount of new, eager groups of people hoping to become adventurers. 

Luckily her face was hiding under the cover of her hood, as her mouth went agape just with the sheer volume. 

As she kept standing at the doorway, a large man, similar to the person that introduced himself as Michael Solovan earlier came to her. He had long blonde hair that was resting atop his shiny silver shoulder pads. His silver breastplate had 2 roaring lion heads carved into it, with 2 golden stars shining proudly above the right one. 

With a generic smile on his face, he looked at the hooded feminine figure and leaned closer. As his face came into Lily's view, she could see 3 large claw marks going through his left eye, most likely a reminder of a fierce battle of the past. How his left eye remained intact was a miracle of itself. 

With a clear and plummy voice, he spoke to her.

"Welcome little one! Did you finally come to a decision and took the step towards the risky but rewarding future?"

Lily looked at the man not understanding how someone could ask such a question as an opener. Luckily the hood hid her shocked expression, however, the surprise was visible in her voice as she replied.

"N-no, it's nothing like that. Or, I mean yes, I did… but not because of the speech that man gave earlier, I was already registered. I just came, so I could learn more about forming parties and that I could finally pick a quest from the board."

The man heartily laughed as he heard the response. A few groups that were quietly talking nearby looked at her as they heard the blonde man's boisterous guffaw.

"Oh, that was…" he started, but as he had no air left, his reply was ragged "...that was awesome! Look, ehrm, little lady, right?" he looked at the feminine figure for confirmation, and as he saw the singular nod, he continued. "Aight, so little lady, in that case, you have come to the right place! This guild-organized event is aimed for people that have just registered or are thinking about signing up as an adventurer in the future. Come, join us, and listen, Sir Michael will start soon!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the much smaller figure's delicate right hand and pulled her into the room. 

Meanwhile as the enchanted and stylish double door closed by itself, Lily looked through the crowd as they were also looking at her direction. For the most part, the crowd consisted of males, but she could see a few ladies every now and then. She even spotted a few groups, most likely newly formed parties that consisted of only females. 

Eventually, Lily's eyes rested on the golden armored man that introduced himself as Michael Sonovan who was stepping up to a small podium. Once again, Lily could see the momentary buzzing of the green particles around his throat. Taking a quick glance, she was sure that she was the only one noticing this. 

Not sure where to put it, she once again reminded herself to ask Granny once she gets home. Unfortunately, all the events that happened yesterday, made her forget to ask about this when she got back.

Michael's booming voice resonated through each corner of the room, quickly silencing all the ongoing conversations and whispers. 

"Once again, on behalf of Higrove's Adventurer's Guild, I welcome you all to this gathering! As I said before, my name is Michael Sonovan, and I'm one of the few 3-star adventurer's this city has."

Stretching out his arms, he continued. 

"My colleagues and I will make sure all of you have all your questions answered! However, before that, let's talk about a crucial and probably the most important aspect of being an adventurer." 

As he rested his arms, he swept through the crowd, satisfied at their focused gazes. Noticing a hooded figure with a simple-looking bow and quiver resting on its back, all the while uninterestedly leaning against the wall next to the doors. He looked at it for a brief second longer before he focused his gaze on the crowd once again, as he continued.

"Mates. Friends. People you can rely upon, depend on. Parties are an important and officially recognized aspect of adventuring. Forming parties with multiple like-minded people can be the difference between life and death out in the field. There are many benefits for joining or even forming one, and one of today's main goals is that by the end of this meeting, you are all familiar with them."

He stopped once again, and then looked at the armored people standing just below the podium spread out and facing the crowd.

"My friends here are all highly experienced, 2-star adventurers. While I will explain the basics, don't be afraid to ask them any questions you have. Also, if some of you have already decided on forming a party together, you can ask any of us, and we can schedule a first outing. We will pick a quest for you and head out with you to give you hands-on experience!"

The armored adventurers smiled proudly and nodded to affirm what their leader, Michael just said. 

After a short pause, giving the crowd ample time to discuss between themselves, Michael continued. 

"I can already tell, some of you have decided to start out together. Good job! Some of you, however…" At this point, he glanced at the hooded feminine figure still leaning against the wall away from the crowd on her lonesome. "...are still undecided. To help you come to a decision, let me explain how partying works with the guild."

Once again, he waited only for a brief moment, to give more power to his next words.

"To understand the true benefit and importance of parties, I have to talk to you about the credit system we use. You might have heard some of us mention it previously, either at one of our contracted shopkeepers or by the attendees at the reception desk downstairs. Credits are a special currency we use to purchase goods and services that is only available to us members of the Guild Hall. 

These are accepted currency all around the continent, in every city where you can find one of our local branches. Typically, when you complete a quest that somebody contracted us with, you will receive at least 2 rewards. 

One will come from the person who posted the quest, and this can be either Gold, Silver, Copper, or any type of local currency they use there, or maybe an item. 

The second type of reward will be Credit, which will be added to your name when you show the proof of completion to any of the attendees."

Once again, he stopped talking and patiently waited as the crowd started discussing what they heard. 

While waiting, Michael kept glancing over at the lonesome figure standing by the doors. Something was peculiar about this person, but he couldn't figure out what. Deciding to follow up on the matter later, he gazed at the crowd once again and continued. 

"Now with this information in hand, it will be easier to understand the incredible benefit parties can provide. As you decide to form your party, it will be registered just like any new adventurer would be. They will also be able to earn credits that will be added to the party account, just as you all. This means, that if you complete a quest as a 4-man party, all 4 of you will earn the corresponding credit just as your party will. Each party will also be ranked in the system and just like you, they will be able to rank-up and earn new stars to their name. And last, but not least..." 

He paused briefly, looking through the eager gazes of the crowd with a satisfied expression. He knew his last words will shock them, and he was already enjoying it.

"You can accept quests one rank higher than your party's level! Earning even more credit and better rewards than your level would normally allow you!"

Just as he predicted, loud gasps and discussions broke out as soon as he spoke those words. All kinds of chatter broke out, discussing the endless possibilities partying up could bring them. All were eager to join up and head out earning the fortune they always dreamed of. 

As he glanced over the cloaked figure, who was looking at the crowd uninterestedly, he sighed. 

Well, maybe not everyone was convinced...