Chapter 77 - The Guilds

Far away, near the border of Totrya, the second group of adventurers arrived. The dusk set in, the road grew dark and dim. Hills, trees, and meadows of flowers, were commonplace. Nature wasn't disturbed here. The royal family didn't want to ruin the sight; though natural resources such as gold and diamonds were rumored to be present – they denied any constructions. The only bit of human infrastructure was the road that went all around the border. It was built as if being a wall that surrounded and showed where the other province's land ended. This road-work held many advantages: mainly, commerce and trade grew faster and safer.

Slowly, small towns like Dundee were built throughout the province. It was beneficial, some thrived on metals, while others on agriculture – all and all, they worked together and made Oxshield one of the richest provinces. Following close behind it was Arda and at dead last, Dorchester with virtually nothing to its name. In said newly immerging towns and villages, smaller guilds also appeared.

Seeing the increase in adventurers and how rare mages grew; the Order with the help of the main guild allowed individuals to form their own party; that could eventually form into a union. Each had to get registered and authorization from both the fighter's and mage's headquarters before officially being recognized. The process was daunting at first, but as years progressed, it grew simpler. Nowadays, all that is required is a suitable location to operate in, a town or village was preferable. A large amount of money and a minimum number of members. It may look like a big undertaking, however, that wasn't the case. Popular guilds, independent from the two main overseers, had the capability to bring in hundreds of thousands of gold on a monthly basis.

As time flowed by, small groups of friends saved money and officially got registered. It was like this that all the popular guilds now were born, out of friendship and companionship. Not all had that same idea however, some specialized in fighting using any means – mercenaries. Traders, merchants, blacksmiths, and many more guilds formed in the same manner. Owning a noble crest was still sought after, but nowadays, bearing the emblem of the guild one is associated with; especially if its one of the popular ones, made you an instant celebrity.  The hold the royal family once held over the kingdom subsided, it changed. No longer were they able to rule with fear – commoners, people with no noble blood could easily lay siege and conquer them as adventurers were mainly from the lower echelon. This obviously struck fear into the heart of the princess; despite being strong.

In recent years, scholars from the Order with the help of MARS, a name you don't hear often, had published a study. It clearly stated the decrease in people being born with the affinity to become mages; instead, more hybrids grew common. People who could learn skills at incredible rates and were unbelievably strong. Thanks to that, Claireville academy had to put a hiatus on the inter-magical tournament. In the five years that went by, adventurers practically exceeded the number of mages registered.

No longer were the commoners oppressed, no longer did they suffer. It alleviated the pressure but working hard to stay alive was a must. In no way were the villagers out of poverty. Oxshield is rich and most of the people are wealthy. This is only twenty-five percent of the population, excluding the non-humans. The remainder hid in Plaustan and Kreston. Plaustan was the more obvious choice; the council ruling over there was more docile than any other. The birth of independent guilds offered the youngsters to flourish and become someone respectable. Whether as a fighter, a trader, a farmer or anything that piqued their interest; a quick visit at the local headquarter in their village or town would make finding a path in life simpler. Nevertheless, the majority of parents wanted their children to enter the ranks of the royal army, it was a sure way out of poverty. Many tried, many failed, and many died.

Out of all the guilds, an iconic name surfaced during the war. A small band of friends, mercenaries, considered heroes by some – Blades End. They helped save many innocent lives when Kreston first went to war with Dorchester, many of the villagers were evacuated to Plaustan. They didn't pick a side, they fought both provinces or anyone who got in their way. With only twenty members, they fought back platoons of hundreds – they were the first people with the boon of becoming full-fledged adventurers. Their emblem, a warrior, knelt with his head bowed and offering his sword. It symbolized their conviction of not fighting. A wandering sword not bound to anyone, a sword that will help whoever was in need.

Their rank remained in the first position in terms of raw strength and wealth. They diversified into other fields, this guild though friendly to one in need of help. The strictness in the recruitment of new members was on par with Claireville Academy's entrance exam. A powerful union of brave souls bound under the same ideals.

The night seeped in, stood near the border, many adventurers waited. Their faces tired but filled with conviction. Some used abilities that went beyond normal human comprehension. For example, a girl, aged about sixteen didn't use magic but conjured Will of the Wisp . Normally a spell that is uses the light element, but this differed from the original. The wisp moved and obeyed her every command, it looked alive. The original on the other hand remained bound to the caster's hand, more like a fireball but with better light and without the heat.

They all stood, waiting, some dressed with heavy and expensive armor while others with cheap protection. None looked superior than the other, after all, they were all commoners trying to make a living for their families. None the less, the presence of two members from Blades end made the atmosphere heavy. They looked like recruits but the armor they wore, light with a black and white design, the signature black-knights, made them nearly invisible in the dark. This made the other members from differing guilds a bit competitive. The current quest given out to them was to find out and investigate whatever terrorized the surrounding roads. After a few kilometers inside Totrya, the scenery changed, it begins with a long climb that goes deeper. The gentle slope that faced Oxshield, made it climbable, but the reality of Totrya began when one reached the height where breathing got harder. None dare ventured inside, it had an eerie feeling to it, the trees looked normal on the outside but moved frequently. Some speculated it was the wind, but how the leaves and branches moved, proved it to be more than something a breeze could do.

A fog always remained near the edge of Totrya, it wasn't thick. Seeing a few meters remained a possibility, but after that, it was complete darkness. The adventurers remained focused on the mist before them. Camps were built, and they took turns sleeping and standing guard. Occasionally, growls, snarls, and hisses would be heard coming from the mist. It would be accompanied by footsteps and movement through bushes. This didn't bother them, but a loud echoing scream of a woman who seemed to have died – woke most of the people. It confused them, some heard it while others plainly didn't.

This misunderstanding brought around conflict amidst friends and guilds. The people who heard it remained adamant, while the people who didn't call them cowards. It escalated quickly, some drew their weapons which weren't limited to swords and close range, but guns as well. The arguments grew louder and obnoxious. "Excuse us, but would you guys please keep it calm and quiet; we don't want our parties to end up killing ourselves now do we?" One of the two members from Blades end spoke, his armor reflected the warm campfire. Everyone was mesmerized by how humble and friendly his face look. His eyes looked as if he were going to sleep, always lazy and nearly closed. He always held a smile regardless of the situation. The long hair falling onto his eyes both helped increase how creepy he was. A friendly weirdo, the arguing members didn't take that lightly.

"Don't come here and act all mighty, you may be from Blades end, but we ain't afraid of you, little boy." A shady looking man, wearing a hooded cloak replied, his tone filled with animosity.

"I'm only trying to help, please don't take this out of context." He placed his right hand onto his chest and slightly bowed – an act of respect.  "Being chivalrous here isn't going to do you good, little boy." The same hooded man approached. They stood inches apart, the young recruit could smell the man's breath, filled with the odor of alcohol. "Yet again, I apologize," he remained true to his manners. "Move along, Gurdan. Don't you see conversing with that drunken man is a waste of breath." A blond-haired boy added smugly. His eyes contrary to Gurdan were filled with disgust and hate, he looked intimidating. "But Edward," Gurdan tried to argue back but remained silent. "No need to worry my friend, we have things that are more important than resolving internal conflicts. That is their job and theirs alone, how can they hope to survive if their bond isn't even strong?" they walked away, the drunken man tried following them but was stopped by the opposing party.

"Gurdan, you should really stop trying to help everyone you see. I mean, being a hero and all may seem easy, but life isn't that simple." They walked closer to the current guards who stood close to the road. "It's not that I want to be a hero, but I can't help it, I want to help people."

"That isn't any of my business, help whoever you want but don't bring me into it. I don't want to come and rescue you." The few adventurers who stood watch whispered.

"Hey guys, I'm getting a bad feeling, I feel like something is going to jump at us," one of the boys from the other parties spoke – everyone around him laughed and reassured him. Edward's attention changed to what the boy spoke. Gurdan scouted the mist from afar, it was the first time he had gotten closer to Totrya. A howl got everybody on guard.

They had their hands on their weapons, most took their fighting stance. Something did, in fact, grow close. The footsteps and savage aura sent chills down everyone's spine. The long-range fighters ran all the way back and took a more advantageous position.

"Something grows close I can feel it," Edward placed his hands onto the ground. *Skill: Detection,* a faint blue light surged from his hand and went forward. Gurdan's always smiling face changed into one focused. "Anything?" he asked. "Nothing, I can hear them moving around but can't sense them, what is this?" Edward stood, there was no point in retrying.

"AHHHH, SOMEONE HELP ME," gunfire broke the silence, screams, and people charging into battle were heard. Both partners rushed to where the screams came from. A pack of wolves rushed out of the mist, their eyes glowed red. Their fur black with purple spots, and bigger than your average wolf. They looked ruthless and clawed anyone who stood in their way. *Skill: Strength enhancement,* they both rushed into battle. People were mauled, some had their heads ripped off. The fight remained in favor of the adventurers. Their attention refocused and the wolves running out of the mist were killed after a lot of effort. Each one took hits that could slay a lion in seconds. The battle raged on, the two members from Blades end fought bravely. Despite this, the adventurers managed to slay only two wolves and the rest retreated. Two wolves killed for the price of six adventurers, the odds didn't look that great. The bodies of the slain beast vanished into smoke, none paid attention; they were to busy helping out their injured comrades. Only Edward and Gurdan noticed it after the bodies vanished, a few copper coins were left behind.