Chapter 103 - The Central Guild

Night passed quickly, amidst the cold, loud chatter, frequent gun-shots, the sun emerged. It's orangish vigor slowly spread throughout the town, it looked as if a drop of water spreading across a tiled floor. Though it looked uneven at times and regular at other, the light slowly entered through every crevasse: hole, windows, doors and more. It marked the beginning of a new day; the royal family had remained quiet for the past months. The incident with his majesty really took a toll but none knew to what extent. Kreston, despite they leaving in a fit of rage that particular night, all remained weirdly tranquil.  The attacks on Dorchester stopped – with the help of some allies, Adelana kept sure to watch Rotten Thicket. Up to now, nothing seemed out of the ordinary and it would stay that way for the many months to come.

As strong and powerful as Kreston might have seemed, the apparition of monsters affected them equally. Their forces were divided across all corners of the province. From the sea to the slightly mountainous regions, they spared no man. They oversaw all, from peasants to nobles, their eyes remained ever watching. Adventures willing to cross their border had to pay a toll and go through rigorous security checks.  Around that time, strange rumors about them being somewhat directly involved discouraged many – some thought they had opened the portal. The portal for monsters to enter; others thought that Kreston had bought Totrya and affiliated themselves with the dark cults who were in no way as strong as the God-slayer.

Information about the subject was scarce. All the general populous knew of was that the monster became a new way for a stable income. Adventures and quests presented themselves for the ones who deemed it necessary. The thrill of fight rekindled old mercenaries. So close yet so far, the days of slaying humans for the purpose of resolving a conflict turned to become barbaric. Despite this, people still used duels to settle down conflicts. Bloodshed never really stopped, no laws nor overseer had an interest in grasping the warriors with a firm grip. Many wish it to be like the main continent, said place had firm rules and regulations. A strong unit to enforce and protect, they were civilized. Visiting nobles found the way of life here putrid and filthy.  

Monsters being present caused no harm, at first panic ran rampant. Now, it was but a question of waiting till an adventurer would swoop in and take its head and coins. In a way, life became easier for villagers. Long were the days where they had to grovel before the rulers to have food and shelter. Long were the days where sisters and daughters would be taken as playthings. Long were the days where brothers and sons would be forced into joining armies or plain slavery. The rise of potential adventurers being born on a daily basis had put a stop to all those inhuman practices. Given they weren't that frequent, one of those gifted warriors could easily slaughter many.

The silent atmosphere changed into chaos, the cacophony of people rushing to work awoke Staxius. He sat and all he saw was hordes of people rushing into buildings and shops. Given the garden was closer to the commercial district as opposed to the business, people still flocked to work. Some yelped annoyingly, some complained, and some lashed out before their day had begun. 'Good to see that people are still thriving to make their lives better,' he stood, dust and dirt stuck onto his shirt to which he calmly patted. "Hey you, get off the lawn – this isn't a place for anyone to sleep," an old man yelled. He wore a straw hat, big bushy mustache and wore out clothes. "I'm sorry," he casually smiled, the tone he used was one of an innocent child. "Hey, it's no worries," the old man approached him. "You best not sleep here again, I'm not saying this out of spite, but people are often killed around this part of town; better be careful," he smiled revealing the teeth he still had and the ones he didn't. "Thanks for the advice," they shook hands.

'What a joyful old man.' He headed into the business district. The scenery changed severely, from stone buildings to ones of concrete with unorthodox designs. The heights of certain were just a statement. The higher, the more powerful. As he walked along the well-maintained pavement, the sight of cars and vehicles grew more popular. At times, before a huge office, a man wearing a black suit, a golden watch and a cigar in his mouth walked inside. The cars all used were particularly expensive and elegant.

'I'm assuming they are the leaders of said corporation or whatever the business is.' He watched in awe, '-I wonder if Julius dressed and acted the same way.' He took a pause and thought about the friend he unwillingly dropped all his problems onto. Little did Staxius know that thinking about Julius would make him simultaneously choke on his toothbrush, those two were weirdly connected.

Minutes turned into hours, Staxius watched and studied. He memorized peculiar mannerism, often he snuck into buildings to check how the leaders acted. 'What's a king without cash,' he chuckled. It became obvious that people here didn't care about what one was as a person. Clothes maketh the man , was the aura in this place. And so, he continued to observe, like an artist admiring a picturesque scene. The weird interaction the day prior with a certain arrogant lady had piqued his interest. While using dark arts, it somehow felt that she had a reason to back-up all her talk. A powerful family, or maybe the bride to someone rich, who knew; at this point, it was as if shooting in the dark. Assumptions weren't going to suddenly turn into the truth. The only way to get useful information was to contact Rose - something he knew not how to do nor accomplish.

The sight of people acting and living in a different way made him envious. This had been a world totally alien to him. Staxius wasn't a man born in this Era, he had been imprisoned and transported into the future. For him, resolving in a diplomatic way proved to be a hassle. Often, he'd rather intimidate and get what he wanted. Though Arda and their teachings from both the nobles and scholars soon changed that. He had become a man with talents none knew: the power of words, the power of manipulation, the power to make someone yours before unsheathing a sword. He did all those before but subconsciously, now it was a new game, a new battlefield.

Like any good strategist, he took the time to research the land and look for obvious things that could turn into his advantage. For one, he was the owner of a car people would slaughter to obtain. The title as king was another trump card he could use. Financial prowess was also something he had but lost a few hours ago and not to forget, Dark-arts. Armed and ready, Staxius headed for the central adventuring guild – the one who ruled all. The overlord of all guilds; their headquarters was square in the middle of the district. Beside it, the bank as well as mages and fighter's guild. Then came other construction for companies and such. At this moment in time, they were inconsequential for the current objective. As opposed to driving in with Void, he walked and remained inconspicuous. A feat easily attainable, people walked by as if he were invisible.

A flight of stairs took him inside, 'this is the central guild,' a revolving door stood before him and the inside. Mild chatter grew into a full-on verbal war, he walked in at the worst possible time. Tis was usual, he gently stood near a group of individuals who remained calm. The layout of the guild wasn't that complex. Instead of having the receptionist in the middle, the desk was but at the edge of the hall to the right side. On the left, you had a small café, people sat and drank – though nothing alcoholic were served. Also, looking up, a small balcony on which people wearing heavy armor rested their arms onto the bal.u.s.trade. Directly underneath was where the commotion happened.

"It's always the same," Staxius overheard a conversation, "they always cause such a ruckus. All those fiends brag about is fame and glory. Apart from boasting, none cares about anything. Though I guess it's fine, sometimes it gets obnoxious for old ladies like us trying to put in a request for help." She stopped and took her time to breathe. "I agree with you, sister. They have muscles for brains, I swear, their parents should have taught them some manners." The other added, the frustration clearly showed in their tone.

It came as a shock to him, none seemed to pay attention. They did complain but all chose to not intervene. The air felt calm despite some of the adventurers had gotten into a fight. Up above, the people who stood cheered and provoked them to fight. It was obvious sarcasm, the receptionist continued with her job. The people besides who Staxius stood walked to her. Though her name title wasn't receptionist, underneath the counter, engraved on a piece of brass; Guild assistant.

The chaos didn't stop for another few minutes till the room went quiet. The elevator who had been on the higher floors came down; tension filled the room. *Ding,* heavy footsteps resounded, the fight stopped. The two opponents seemed as if they were childhood friends. People walked out of the lift, the two who walked in front weren't impressive in size, their armor was peculiar too. A warrior forsaking his weapon, behind them, many more walked out, their presence was on a whole other scale. These guys meant business, "thanks for your work," the guild assistant spoke, they nodded and left. 'Who are those guys?' Staxius wondered.

"Alright everyone," the same lady yelled, another one came rushing down from the door behind. "Time to work," the sound of armor hitting one another felt as if an army marched. "Daily quest's have been put on the notice board; please if you are to take any quest. Run it by us first, taking quest three tiers above your current tier will result in immediate denial. Parties who are to take group quest please come to counter number two – solo quests are at number one."

She clapped twice; a massive board appeared underneath the balcony. It was filled with requests from nobles to villagers. The reward and difficulty both written in bold. People argued about which quest to take; often two people would choose one quest. It wasn't prohibited but the one to complete the requirements and necessities specified first would be the one who is recompensated. The sight of teenagers who were barely old enough to hold a long sword wasn't that uncommon. It did come as a shock for Staxius, anyone could register if they were above the age of fifteen. Despite their size, they were ruthless when it came to picking a job, some spoke so savagely they were knocked out by others. As usual, the guild assistant remained as blasé as she could. Curious, Staxius peeked from afar.

[Protection from the Dark Guild – Tier 7]

[Emissary from God – Tier 9]

[Goblin infestation – Tier 10]

[Potential Dragon spotting – Tier X]

[Escort for Trading Routes – Tier 8]

[Slavery & Torture – Tier 7]

The tier-X made Staxius suspicious, the guild assistant caught his eyes. She stared at him with such intent it nearly made him want to break her neck. Her gaze felt cold and piercing, she knew he wasn't part of the adventurers. It wasn't unheard of for non-adventurers to sneak peek at quests and steal said rewards before anyone could officially begin their expedition. Instead of backing down, he stared back and smiled confidently. She rolled her eyes and went back to her normal posture seeing as people had chosen their job for today.

'This is very interesting, the quests don't have much detail except for the names and tier. I guess it's pretty normal, if you want more information, contact the guild assistant.' He stood and watched – this was a whole new experience. Secretly, he loved every possible moment.