Meeting Milton

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“Yo, I’m here to see Milton, is he in?”

“Ah, Mr. Ren, I presume. The guildmaster told us to expect you, he’s in his office.” One of the gentlemen who runs the quest counter at the Adventurer’s Guild gave me a polite nod. “Just a moment and I’ll go fetch him.”

He hurried to the back to summon the man I had been hoping to meet with, Guildmaster Milton. A friendly fellow, but annoyingly inquisitive at the best of times. His penchant for curiosity and information-gathering was only matched by his absurd take on fashion, but that was another matter.

Speaking of, before the quest counter clerk left, he gave me a strange sort of look as he glanced over the rags I called “clothing”. It wasn’t hard to be embarrassed by my wardrobe, and personal hygiene, but there wasn’t much I could do with my lack of funds. Even soap required coin to buy, coin I didn’t have.

And unlike the otherworlders at the Institute for Practical Magic, I didn’t have any value in this society and thus wasn't awarded the same free perks that they were.

“Tch.”

Thankfully, however, the payout for taking out Khorag was about to change all that. Well, that’s what I hoped, at least. A few more jobs like this and I might even be able to take regular trips to the bathhouse instead of taking dips in the canal. Or, better yet, buy a house with my own bath.

Wouldn’t that be nice.

“Ren, my dear boy, it is so so lovely to see you!”

An over-enthusiastic voice, as smooth as silk, greeted me as I was lost in thought.

“Boss.” I nodded.

“What brings you to my humble establishment today? In need of more fetch quests? I just had a few roll in, as it turns out.”

Milton tipped his wide-brimmed purple hat towards me with an inviting smile, brushing a strand of his blonde hair behind his knife-like ears. He was something this world called a high elf, meaning he was much longer-lived than some of the other subspecies, though I couldn’t pin down his exact age with any certainty.

The Adventurer’s Guildmaster of Redrook’s flagship location wore a vibrant coat and vest combo of deep purple, red, and gold with white frills and a crimson jewel along the neck area. As bold as ever.

“Actually, I took care of a local problem and was hoping we could discuss payment.” I said, trying to keep my voice low. “I also nabbed that thing you were after.”

“Ah! Splendid. We’ll speak more of that in my office, come now.” Milton beamed, somehow deciphering my cryptic speech, and gestured for me to follow him down the hall. “And no need to speak so cautiously in front of our counter man there, Gerard’s lips are locked as tight as Castle Red.”

“I hope you’ll excuse me for being distrusting of folks I don't know.” I muttered, following Milton into his office and closing the door behind me. “I gotta be careful in my line of work…”

“Yes, yes, I suppose. You mercenary types do operate rather covertly.” Milton heaved a sigh, taking a seat at his desk. “So? Observing how positively battered you seem to be, might I assume that Khorag and his rabble have been humbled by your efforts?”

I pulled out Khorag’s ponytail and placed it on Milton’s desk which prompted a wry smile out of the man.

“You could say that, but it wasn’t a cakewalk. Those orcs can dish out a punch,” I gave my account of the fight I had before. “Though you won’t hear me compliment their performances once the tables were turned. Buncha lowlifes left their leader high and dry.”

“That’s precisely what I like about you, my dear boy. You go out and get results, regardless of the risks. Although…” Milton tapped his chin. “Isn’t it about time you joined the Adventurer's Guild officially instead of taking the odd job or two? You’re hurting for money, are you not? And you can’t go it alone forever...”

“Well…” I crossed my arms. “You know this, but a skills appraisal is a must for guild membership, and I overheard somewhere that otherworlders can’t receive an appraisal of their skills anywhere except the Institute.”

“There is that, yes.” Milton nodded.

“And they practically threw me out of there last time when they found out I had no special abilities.” I gritted my teeth. “My memories might be a little jumbled, sure, but I couldn’t fabricate a whole life on Earth. I’m many things, but I ain’t a liar.”

“I wholeheartedly agree, Ren, which is why I’d hate to see you continue to throw your life away in Beggar’s Alley.” Milton smiled. “Abilities or not, you’ve proven yourself capable time and again. Which is more than enough reason for me to make you an honorary guild member.”

“Wait, seriously!?”

“Absolutely. You forget you’re speaking to the most influential and handsome Guildmaster in all of Zen! Not to mention a leading figure in the running of the city-state of Redrook.”

At least he didn’t say “most humble”, because that would be a lie.

Though he was quite the big fish, and just having a membership could open my life here up to many possibilities, including finding a stable income. Even if it was bussing tables or labor work somewhere, it was like a seal of approval showing I was a respected part of the community, a true adventurer.

And honestly, that was more than alright for me. I had no grand aspirations of herodom or glory, just being able to eat and wash regularly would be a godsend. It would also be a first for me in the weeks—months??—I’d spent in this godforsaken world.

“But before we get to that, and the matter of your payment, you have the dagger, yes?” Milton rested his chin on top of his folder hands, his leg crossed over his thigh. “Cleaning up the streets is noble and all, but acquiring that piece of equipment was an important part of the work order. I’ve quite been looking forward to seeing it for myself.”

“Oh, that’s right, it’s here, it’s…”

Where…

“—!!”

I felt my hip where I had tucked the dagger for safekeeping, but it wasn’t there. Panicked, I bolted out of my seat, checking the immediate area. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found. The dagger, my meal ticket,

had completely vanished.

“What’s wrong, dear boy?”

“I-I had it, but…” I wracked my brain thinking of where I might have dropped the thing. “It was on my hip at the bar counter, for sure, but the only time I lost focus on what I was doing was when…”

I suddenly remembered something after catching a whiff of the fruit smell on my clothes. The man who bumped into me and spilled my drink had done so rather conspicuously despite having plenty of room to walk around.

“So, that’s it.” I put my hands on my hips.

“Hmm?”

“Some jerk bumped into me downstairs, a guy in a black cloak, and I’m thinking the asshole swiped the dagger and left.”

I thought of his smirk on the way out, the way he was looking down on me. I knew that look quite well. The diversion was no-doubt a part of his act, and it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen similar tactics employed against me in the past.

Damn it all! I thought I was smarter than this.

“I was careless.” Gathering all my humility, I bowed in apology to Milton. “I’m sorry, Boss.”

“Please, raise your head, Ren!” Milton waved his hands. “These things happen, and I guess it has given me a firsthand look into what you must deal with daily. But while this won’t affect the membership we discussed, your payment will have to be reduced… You understand, yes?”

”I… understand.” I nodded, still extremely frustrated with myself. “You think he’ll try to return it here later, and pass off my work as his own?”

“Not likely. To the common thief—or an orc who can’t use magic—Khorag’s dagger is like a kitchen knife, unassuming and ordinary in appearance.” Milton explained. “But to those with extensive arcane knowledge, like yours truly, it’s an artifact of great import.”

So the only way someone would go out of their way to steal it as if they knew something about it.

“Huh, that so?” I muttered. “If you don’t mind telling, how important are we talking about here?”

“Curious, are we? It’s a named weapon, The Ashen Fang, capable of concealing its user in a shroud that can bypass even the most complex of identification magics.” He continued. “It’s likely the orcs found it in some hovel without realizing its true potential, but in the hands of a capable assassin, one with an affinity for mana… it’s an incident, or many, waiting to happen.”

And I went and lost it. Brilliant.

“You know, I can go search for the prick, I really oughta make this right somehow…”

“Don’t concern yourself with such matters, dear boy, my best men will be on the hunt. And I’ll be keeping an eye on the markets too, just in case.” Milton reassured me. “You’ll have plenty of chances to prove yourself soon enough. As for today, here’s your cut.”

Milton handed me a small sack of coins. While it wasn’t the haul that was promised in exchange for the dagger, it was enough to keep me fed for at least a small while, which was enough. Though Milton told me not to worry about it, I couldn’t help but feel a burning desire to deal with the thief myself. Or maybe it was just my wounded ego.

But would I get the chance to settle the score? Milton stiffened up suddenly.

“We’ve got company.”

Company?

“Guildmaster Milton!”

On cue, the guild receptionist from earlier came sprinting into Milton’s office without so much as a knock, his tone well past panicked.

“What is the matter, Gerard? We’ve just wrapped up here, and I could use a spot of tea.”

“Tea will have to wait, Guildmaster, we’ve received reports of a large cluster of monsters who have appeared in the Residential District! Undead by the looks of it.” The receptionist, Gerard, explained. “The Royal Garrison mobilized first, but they were quickly overrun...”

So that’s what had them in a frenzy earlier. But monsters…?

Monster sightings were common enough in the ever-dark Mistral Forest outside the imposing city walls of Redrook, but seeing them within city limits was practically unheard of. This was no natural occurrence.

“Undead, was it?” Milton chuckled to himself. “I knew I caught a whiff of something foul. Gerard, gather all the capable hands we’ve got! If we adventurers fall, the Institute’s Students are our last line of defense.”

“Yes, sir! Right away, sir!” He took off running.

“Ren, I must also take my leave, but since you’re present…” Milton sprang up, pacing over to a filing cabinet in the far corner of the room. “Please deliver this missive to the Royal Captain of the Garrison, Leónidas, posthaste. It contains a matter of grave significance.”

“Geh—”

Not him, anyone but him…

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just that…” The captain and I didn’t exactly have the best history, to put things lightly. I didn’t have it in me to turn Milton down after all the lengths he’d gone to for me, however. ”Nevermind… I’ll do it.”

“Fantastic!” Without giving me time to reconsider, the missive was shoved into my hands, and I was being guided out the door. ”He should be posted in the Palace District near the drawbridge. Consider this your first official task as a member of the adventurer’s guild. I trust you won’t disappoint me…”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Boss.”

With that last word of confidence, I set off for the Palace District to take care of an errand for the guild. I couldn’t help but feel like it was a misuse of my time with everyone fighting monsters just a few blocks away, but Milton wouldn’t describe the missive as “important” if it wasn’t, and putting down zombies and the like were outside of my area of expertise anyway.

It would be wise to take this seriously, in any case.

I thought back to his offer to let me join the guild as an honorary member, and it brought a rare smile to my face. I had won his trust by being the sort of person that would do thankless tasks, and odd jobs. Milton was a fine man who treated everyone fair, weirdness aside. Although, I couldn’t help but feel like he had a secret or two up his sleeve. That was just my intuition.

Just as I was beginning to make decent time on-foot towards my destination, I saw something that captured my attention, a flash of black. My gaze narrowed, and a scowl spread across my face.

“It’s you!” Feeling my anger bubble up, I pointed a finger at the cloaked man from earlier, the one whom I presumed had robbed me.

He leaned against a wall on the outskirts of the Central District. Something didn’t feel right about him being out in the open in the aftermath of his crime, however. With another smirk, he disappeared. After a brief moment of hesitation, but wanting to listen to my instincts, I decided to start the chase.

I proceeded west after the man who cost me somewhat of a small fortune, determined to get back what was mine and the guild’s.

Sorry, Milton, but I’ve gotta follow this lead while I’ve got the chance.

The missive—and the Royal Captain of the assholes—could wait just a while longer, I reasoned to myself.