Chương 17: Adventuer's Guild

I stayed for a few days, sleeping in Lina's makeshift room in the back. It was cramped, but at least I didn't have man-eating dire-rabbits to think of. The little room smelled of various spices. The cot creaked every time I shifted, and the blanket was thin enough to qualify as a sheet instead. Still, it was dry, and it had a door. Can't ask for more than that.

Surprisingly, Vaelith, our resident demon-princess, slept out under the moon and the stars, often with or near Madam Moolisa, who seemed to enjoy the company, having none of her old farmland friends around. More than once, I found the two of them lying in the grass behind the shop, Vaelith on her back with her horns catching moonlight, Madam Moolisa beside her chewing lazily. One day, Lina sat me down. Near her, she had glass jars with some sort of clear liquid.

Inside were various monster parts from the dire-rabbits I had slain. Teeth. Claws. Bits of tendon. The jars caught the afternoon light from the shop window, turning the preserved pieces into floating, disgusting horrors.

"Do you remember what I said?" she asked. I shrugged.

"You've got to be… Remember? I said that I had a business proposition for you. Well—" She pushed one of the vials forward, and inside there were a few dire-rabbit teeth floating in the liquid "—this is it."

"Teeth?" I asked.

"Are you getting into dentistry?"

"No!" Lina replied, putting a hand to her chin.

"Well, maybe that isn't such a bad idea. Use monster teeth to—" She brushed the idea aside "—no, we aren't talking about that. Monster parts are needed for quite a few classes. Armorsmiths, leatherworkers, tailors, fletchers, alchemists, and even farmers can use the parts in various ways. Bramblewick is expanding, and it has come to my attention that we have nobody who deals in said parts. It's an open market! And so you and I are gonna make a killing."

There was a certain look that Lina got in her eyes when she spoke of commerce. Something fierce and proud, and yet oddly tender. Like she cherished every moment.

"Seems simple enough," I replied.

"So you want me to go and hunt monsters and send back any unused parts?" Lina snapped her fingers.

"Precisely. I mean, I figure you'll already be hunting monsters."

"How will I get the parts back to you?"

"See, you're definitely the right one for the job. You ask the right questions. If you remember, we spoke to a monster merchant. Well, I plied him for information, made some contacts, and now I'm introduced to a large network of transporters. You see, they can use mages to rip the fabric of space-time—well, the details don't matter. Seek out any merchant's guild in any major city, and they should have a contact with the Wayfarer's Guild. I've already set up a barter and pay system with them.

They will appraise and pay you for what they bring, take their cut, and transport the goods back to me to sell. Win-win for everyone." It made sense, and honestly, I'd be unlikely to find a better way of making coin. Yet, as with all things, one should not take the first offer and should take the time to reflect.

"It sounds good, Lina, but I don't want to commit quite yet." Lina smiled.

"I figured you wouldn't. Take a day or two… but this is happening. I'd prefer with you, but I'll settle for someone else. Maybe your demon friend?" I smiled.

"Oh, I'm quite sure she would love to hunt monsters for you. You'd have to become her servant, though. She seems only to care about doing great deeds and having people come to love her so she can make them her followers." Lina shrugged.

"To each their own. We don't choose the class we get. Only the gods do. Now, onto the next bit of business… What the hell!?" She slammed the counter with a smack! Her sudden change in demeanor set me back and I nearly fell from my chair.

"Wait… what happened? What did I do?"

"You made food for Vaelith before me?" With all that had happened, I forgot that what I had originally made for Lina and me was stolen by Darwin.

"... Sorry?" I replied. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Lina slammed the table with her hands. The jars jumped, liquid sloshing around preserved rabbit teeth and claws.

"Not good enough. You're going to make me something before you leave Bramblewick for good. Now, show me your recipes." As she said, I pulled up the system and shared it with her. She scrolled and read through the information. I noticed that Dire-Rabbit Heart Skewers had leveled. System Dire-Rabbit Heart Skewers (Lvl 2) Effect: For 2 hours, +8 DEX, +2 WIS, +8 HP/m, Rapid Recovery Rank 1, Jump height increased by 20%"There!" she said.

"I want that!" She flipped the status screen toward me and pointed to one of my new recipes. Stingtail Nettle Tea Rarity: Common Type: Monster Description: A warming medicinal tea brewed from the venom barb of a stingtail. Frostmint cools the venom's bite, bitterroot gives the infusion body, and honeycap nectar softens the harshness into a slow, strengthening heat. Often used by hunters and adventurers after venom or poison exposure.

Core Ingredient: Stingtail Venom Sac Ingredients: Frostmint Leaves, Venom Reed, Honeycap Nectar Effects: Unknown"Before you leave, I want you to make me some tea at the very least. You owe me." … She had a point. I did owe her.

"And why am I helping you?" Vaelith asked.

"Because if you want me as a servant, you have to earn my loyalty."

"Earn it?" she replied incredulously.

"I saved your worthless human life."

"Do you know where we can find any Stingtails?" Vaelith put a hand to her chin.

"Not a clue. Why?" Luckily, in Bramblewick, the official Adventurer's Guild had set up shop. It was little more than a shed, but they were doing constant work renovating. I hoped they could help.

"I suppose we'll need to rely on the Adventurer's Guild."

"You want to register with the Adventurer's Guild?" Vaelith asked, pointing back and forth between her and me.

"Both of us?"

"Not register, just ask for directions." Vaelith scratched at the edge of one of her horns, consideringly.

"You know, it isn't a bad idea. If we register as a party, then our exploits will be recorded and told throughout the land." She snapped her fingers.

"Good work, servant. That's using your head."

"Master, not servant," Darwin corrected. My companion, new to life outside of a water bubble, still clung tightly to my clothes. Darwin had, however, figured out how to tongue-lash and fling himself from object to object like a grappling hook. Every so often he would snap his tongue to a shelf, post, or hanging sign and launch himself. Wasting no more time, we walked through the town until we found the Adventurer's Guild. It was a small building, and a few adventurers milled outside.

They hadn't even the luxury of a sign. The wood looked fresh in some places and weathered in others, as if the whole thing had been thrown together at a moment's notice. Blackened hammer marks scarred the doorframe, and a stack of unused planks leaned against one wall. I stepped inside. There were a handful of people, most standing near a haphazard and leaning wooden board with various wanted bounties for monsters and criminals alike. The room smelled of old parchment and sweat.

A few muddy footprints tracked across the floor. Somewhere near the back, someone had spilled ink and left it there until it formed an eerily void circle. I walked over and began to look at the bounties when someone called.

"Hey, you lot. The one with the demon and the… whatever that is. I don't recognize you. Come talk to me first." Turning, I walked over."'The demon,'" Vaelith said, clearly annoyed.

"That's Princess Vaelith Noctara, third in line for the fifth seat of the Court of Nine Embers to you."

"Apologies," the man replied, fixing his crooked glasses, although he did not seem the leats bit sorry. He had dark skin and dark hair and was a middle-aged human. Likely not much older than I was before I was reborn into a younger body. His desk was covered in loose papers and several dull pencils.

"I did not mean to offend you," he continued.

"I am told that I can be… blunt with my choice of words." Vaelith waved him off.

"I see you two looking at the bounties, but to accept and receive any pay, you need to be registered with the Adventurer's Guild, and any parties you may or may not be a part of need to be listed as well." Vaelith smiled at me.

"See, I told you it was a good idea." I rolled my eyes.

"We are just looking for information," I said. The man fixed his glasses again.

"Sorry, while our network of informants is deep, information is only for members… and it comes at a cost."

"A cost?" I asked.

"Why?"

"To pay the informants, of course." I went to protest, but it actually made sense.

"So… Do you two wish to register with the guild?" Before I could reply, Vaelith slammed her hand on the counter.

"Yes!" she announced.

"As a party!"

"... And what is your party's name?"