The Adventurer Guild

"HEY! Why do we have to go to the Adventurer Guild so early in the morning?" Aki questioned while sitting in a wobbly carriage wagon with Layla. 

Aki was abruptly woken up at the crack of dawn, forced to eat his breakfast quickly, and then interrogated by Brox and Layla regarding the Fallen Brother while half asleep. "I'm going to be sick!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth with his right hand. 

"We need to turn in this report to the Guild Master so you can collect your bounty," Layla explained, holding onto a hard-covered blue folder in her lap. The folder contained an official report detailing the deaths of three wanted adventurers, certified by Brox's signature. "Not to mention you also need to register for an identification card, right?"

After the long interrogation session, Aki was given a few options to obtain proper identification due to his status as a lost. 

The easiest option was to join the army and complete the year-long training requirement, but as a former soldier, Aki didn't want to spend any more time in service. 

There was an option to join the Church, which had a shorter requirement of six months, but his connection with the tiny Goddess may create some unnecessary situations. 

Aki's only option was to join one of three major guilds: Adventurer, Merchant, or Craftsman. 

Aki considered joining the Craftsman Guild, but seeing how comfortable this world was already with proper sanitation, decent food, and clothing, there wasn't anything he could properly offer creativity-wise.

For Aki to become a merchant, he would need to have a connection with a craftsman or supplier to provide goods to sell. Aki's biggest concern was his overpriced Hamiel Series equipment, and being a merchant, this meant he would often get attacked. 

Aki wanted to avoid being an Adventurer because he wanted to live a life that didn't revolve around bloodshed. He wants to live his second life without having to spill any more blood and, most importantly, without having to kill another living thing. 

In the end, Aki settled for being an Adventurer after being informed by Layla that there were requests that revolved around plant gathering and daily chores that wouldn't involve killing.


The carriage suddenly came to a halt, with a foot soldier opening the door, and Layla stepped out first.

"Here we are!" Layla exclaimed, pointing towards a large tan building, "Welcome to The Adventurer Guild!" 

The Adventurer Guild was a large western-style medieval building with a tan exterior and red shingled rooftop. In front of the guild's entrance, there were small plants planted around the entire building, and the smell of lavender lingered in the air. 

"It looks a lot fancier than I thought," Aki muttered, inspecting the building exterior. "It does seem a bit fantasy-like". 

"Come over here," Layla ordered, holding the heavy wooden door open and standing in front of the doorway. "Let's go already!" 

As they entered the guild building, the air changed to a sour smell as if someone had vomited recently. The tan interior was brightly lit, with small magic lamps hanging on the walls, and a half-circle wooden desk was placed in the center of the room for accepting guild requests. On the left side was a long bulletin board filled with paper quest postings, arranged neatly based on Rank, starting from A to F, while multiple private booths similar to a bank teller were arranged on the right side to turn in complete quests. 

"Welcome to Adventure Guild, Vice Captain Layla." A female receptionist greeted her as she walked over, "How may I help you today?"

The female receptionist had dark brown eyes with light brown short hair with dimples appearing as she smiled cheerfully. She was dressed in a brown blazer with a brown pencil skirt and brown flat shoes. 

"Good Morning, Lucy! Layla greeted the receptionist, "I have a report for the Guild Master regarding the Fallen Brothers," she stated, handing over the blue folder. 

"I'm so sorry to hear that!" Lucy replied, "Is everyone okay?" She assumed that soldiers from the Northeast Gate were attacked by them again. 

"Everyone is fine. I'm just here to report the brothers' deaths," Layla responded, "This gentleman over here was the one who took them down and is here to collect the bounty." She gestured towards Aki, who crouched, facing downward at the white marble tiled floor. 

"WAIT, THEY ARE DEAD!" Lucy exclaimed while she quickly opened the folder and read the report. She swiftly walked up the white marble staircase, entered a brown door, and walked back out without the blue folder. "'T-The Guild Master is ready to see you now," she walked down and gestured for them to proceed forward upstairs. 

*KNONK* KNONK* "Guild Master Falcon, this is Vice Captain Layla." Layla knocked on the door, introducing herself.

"COME IN!" the Guild Master replied in a serious, deep voice. 

Layla opened the wooden door and allowed Aki to enter first before shutting it behind them.  The Guild Master was sitting on a leather couch in the center of the room, pouring tea into two empty cups and placing them on the opposite side of him, facing an empty leather couch. 

"SIT!" the Guild Master ordered, while they sat down promptly. 

The Guild Master was a large, muscular man with a crew-cut hairstyle and a Dali-style mustache. He wore a red leather jacket that draped over his broad, muscular back, a button-down white shirt with buttons ready to pop out, black slacks, and black heavy boots. 

"So you are the one who killed the Fallen Brothers?" the Guild Master inquired, waiting for a direct verification from Aki.

"Nope, it was the Forest Guardian!" Aki firmly answered, attempting to deflect any assumption towards him, and wanted to end this talk as soon as possible. 

"This report here says their deaths were recorded under your status record when you went through the gate entrance," the Guild Master interrogated, picking up the folder and showing the report to Aki. "I know Captain Brox, and he wouldn't lie on an official report here, so cut the crap," he demanded, slamming the report closed loudly. 

"*sigh*" Aki sighed, giving up any attempt to deny it anymore. He began to retell his encounter with the brothers, how he fought them, and how they each died. 

"THAT MORON!" the Guild Master yelled, "I've told him before that he shouldn't stand so fucking far away in a formation!" he stated. 

"Wait, what?" Aki questioned, "If he had stood any closer, I would have been dead!" he commented.  

"Well, that is true," the Guild Master stated, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "I spent a lot of time tutoring those three when they first started, and it's just annoying that they still haven't fixed their bad habits. In the end, they are no longer a headache for this Kingdom anymore," he sighed with relief, placing his tea cup back onto the saucer. 

"Layla, once again, I do apologize for all the harm they've caused to you, your captain, and your squadron," the Guild Master apologized, lowering his head. 

"It's fine!" Layla quickly responded, trying to get the Guild Master to raise his head, "It happens from time to time, even with soldiers. All it matters is that we need to be more proactive in nipping these issues in the bud," she stated while making a terrifying gesture with her right hand, prentending to grab hold of a sack and twisting it off. 

"NOW THEN! I never properly introduce myself. My name is Falcon, I'm the Adventurer Guild Master in the Royal Capital," the Guild Master introduced himself. "Aki, you are entitled to the bounties that were on their heads, but without an identification card, I can't give it to you." 

'Isn't that why I'm here?" Aki inquired, "To apply for a Guild card." 

"Based on the additional report here, it says you are a lost right?" the Guild Master stated, with a concerned tone of voice. "Personally, I don't doubt that you are lost, but for the adventurer guild to give you a card, you still must pass our exam!" he stated, standing up and beginning to walk towards the door, and gesturing for them to follow alongside him.

"The exam required you to spar with a C-Rank adventurer and demonstrate your abilities to one of the Guild staff for a physical assessment. This way, we know you are capable in a fight when the situation requires it," the Guild Master explained as they walked down another set of stairs and headed towards a long hallway, arriving at an open training arena filled with adventurers sparring with each other. 

"EVERYONE,  VACATE THE FIELD NOW!" the Guild Master yelled, "WE HAVE A NEW APPLICANT THAT NEEDS TO  COMPLETE THEIR ENTRY EXAM!" with all the adventurers stopping immediately and proceeding to vacate the arena, sitting on the side benches. 

"CAN I BE THE EXAMINER THIS TIME?!?!" one of the adventurers yelled, followed by a few more volunteers asking.

"SORRY, BUT THIS TIME, I'M THE EXAMER!" the Guild Master stated, took off his red jacket, and placed it on the coat rack near the entrance. 

Aki quickly turned around to Layla, "I've changed my mind! I want to apply for the Craftsman Guild, so can we leave now? I'll even settle for the Merchant Guild, so can we lea-" with his word getting cut off mid-sentence as he is dragged off by his shirt collar again.

"COME ON, DON'T BE A WUSS!" the Guild Master laughed as he threw Aki onto the dirt field with a bloom of dust filling the air. 

"DO WE HAVE A HEALER NEARBY?!?" The onlookers frantically search for one. They knew that the entry exam with the Guild Master was going to end with some serious injuries. 

"Poor guy, what did he do that made the Guild Master his entry exam proctor?" an adventurer muttered as they watched. 

"IF YOU TRULY HAD DEFEATED THE FALLEN BROTHERS, THEN YOU MUST HAVE SOME SORT OF SKILLS, SHOW IT TO ME!" the Guild Master demanded, taunting Aki. He was curious to see how a single person was able to fare against his pupils and most importantly, as a lost, who is supposed to be physically inferior compared to them. 

"Wait, the brothers are dead?" as gossip filled the arena, "That guy killed them?" 

"Ughhh......I don't want to fight," Aki stated, standing up, patting his pants clean, and immediately felt pressure coming from the onlookers, with Layla watching with immense concern. 

"COME ON, I'M WAITING!" the Guild Master continued to taunt Aki, "YOU CAN USE ANY OF THOSE WEAPONS ON THAT RACK & ANY SKILLS YOU WISH," pointing at the wooden sparring weapons on the weapon rack.

"If you aren't going to use weapons, I'm not going to!" Aki yelled, realizing it was better to get this exam over with as soon as possible. Aki began to jump in a rhythm and started loosening his body, *Pre Workout Routine*. "Okay, here I come!" as he began his sprint towards the Guild Master.

"I'm not sure what skills he just activated, but he's gotten fast-" the Guild Master assessed, looking at Aki's speed increasing before instinctively raising his right arm to block a wide left kick with it. "HEAVY!", he stated. 

Aki began to withdraw, allowing a few feet of distance in the event of a counterattack, but the Guild Master remained still. Aki began to charge forward again, giving three straight punches alternating with each swing before switching to a right swing uppercut towards the Guild Master's face, striking him directly in the chin before backing off again. 

"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR NECK MADE OF!!" Aki yelled, shaking off the pain that was radiating in his right hand. Aki intended to punch him in the chin to send a jolt to his head that would have rattled his brain a bit, knocking him unconscious, but his neck muscle was too firm. 

"NOT BAD AT ALL!" the Guild Master yelled, spitting a bit of blood out, "Now, it's my turn!" he declared, charging forward, trying to grab on to Aki for a body slam. Aki quickly started to retreat by stepping backward and barely escaping the Guild Master's grabbing technique.  The Guild Master decided to change his approach and move to straightforward punching instead. Aki quickly blocked the punches by overlapping his right arm with his left arm in an X formation, taking two punches before being sent backward to the brick wall, falling flat onto the ground. 

"MOTHER FUCKER!" Aki yelled, stood back up, "I JUST HAD IT HEALED YESTERDAY!" looking at his slightly bruised right arm. 

"I'm surprised you are still standing after taking a few of my punches," the Guild Master stated, pinching his mustache with his right index finger and thumb, "Most people would be out for a day or two after receiving it." 

"IN THAT CASE, ARE WE DONE YET?!?!?" Aki yelled, as he was getting annoyed by this pointless fight and felt like he had demonstrated his ability enough for a guild card. 

"OKAY!" the Guild Master declared, "I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE FREE PUNCH AND WE WILL END IT HERE!" he added. Aki was supposed to be a lost, but his strength didn't align with the records, meaning there may be more that has yet to be seen. 

"FINE!" Aki yelled, getting into position for a straight punch with his left hand, taking in a deep breath, and controlling his erratic heartbeat. *Meditation*

"Such focus in a young man at his age!" the Guild Master noticed, feeling the air in the arena changing dramatically, "No wonder Brox warned me about fighting him head-on." 

Aki darted his eyes open and began his sprint toward the Guild Master with immense speed. 

From the Guild Master's perspective, Aki's footsteps had no sound, but he could still hear the gossip happening in the background. "What's going on here?" the Guild Master pondered while blinking multiple times. 

As Aki approached closer, the Guild Master sharpened his senses, tightened his muscles, and lowered his hip to take the blow from the punch. When he blinked again, he noticed there was something hovering behind Aki, a shadowy figure with two glowing white eyes, staring directly back at him, with his gut suddenly sinking. It was a feeling that he had experienced multiple times before, when he fought in life-or-death battles. 

"OH SHIT!" the Guild Master yelled, *Iron Wil-* 

"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" Lucy yelled in the arena entrance, "MONSTERS ARE LEAVING THE FOREST OF TAERIA AND ATTACKING THE SOUTHEAST GATE!!" 

The sudden announcement from Lucy caused Aki to lose concentration, tripping on his own feet and faceplanting straight onto the ground. The Guild Master stood frozen for a few seconds, allowing time to process the information. 

"ALL C-RANK & ABOVE ARE TO HEAD TO THE SOUTHEAST GATES IMMEDIATELY, ALL D-RANK & BELOW ARE TO ASSIST WITH EVACUATION!" the Guild Master instructed, "Layla, notify Brox and have him send some soldiers to assist." 

"Is the exam over now?" Aki inquired, sitting on the ground, wiping the dirt from his clothes. "Can I go home now?" 

"It is on pause for now!" the Guild Master declared, dragging Aki from his shirt collar again. "Come with us to the gate!"

'WAIT! I'M NOT EVEN AN ADVENTURER  YET SO WHY AM I GOING TO THE GATES!!" Aki yelled, trying to free. "How does this make any sense!" 

"Quit complaining already!" the Guild Master answered. "Depending on your actions in battle, I'll give you a higher rank," he added. The Guild Master was concerned about the shadowy figure that hovered behind Aki, thinking Aki's strength might be coming from a type of undead possession, and this attack might help shed some insight into it.