The Adventurers Guild

Today, we met with quite an interesting person. His name is Anzo Bernard, an adventurer. Sir. Walter had recommended him, and I must agree. I find his ideals quite agreeable, and his ability is beneficial for our cause. Luckily, he had not been previously approached by the Deviants. I find myself excited at the prospect of his help in our plan. It is also my first time in the Merchant’s city, it is quite beautiful. The large tree at its center truly gives it a mystical shine. The god at the peak of the tree also interests me; often, gods will separate themselves from their territory, seeking secluded locations. But the machinations of gods are beyond us mortals, both their powers and their loyalties.

You would love it here, Lunia.

♕♛♕♛♕♛♕

Water lightly sprays their back as they sit on the fountain's edge.

“We didn’t find anything…” Neia mutters, leaning forward onto their hands.

“It’s not surprising,” Manako answers her.

The two had searched the entire North-west part of the Merchants' Aisle. After leaving the Old lady apothecaries and splitting up with Hiiro and Eris, no other tickets had been found.

“And now we’re at the meeting time, and those two haven't shown up…” Neia says, their eyes appearing more tired than sharp. They're probably alright…

The two girls sigh.

Neia looks around, but nothing quite catches their eye until they land on the tree. It's a large tree, reaching nearly the top of the cliff behind it. Its bark is a reddish color, with the diameter of a small town itself. The tree bears very few branches until roughly half of its length, where branches suddenly grow from every side. Its leaves allow sunlight to shine through their small needles.

“It’s a big tree.” Neia simply says.

Manako’s ears perk up. “It's one of only 7 species of Giga-flora in the world. The Leto Tree,” She says, turning to look at the tree. “This one is unique though; all of the other ones have forests surrounding them.”

“And those are the Elven countries, yeah?”

“Correct. This one is also known for the controversy behind its planting.” Manako looks toward the tree's foliage. “It’s unknown where it came from; it simply showed up one day. Some say the god planted it themself, others say miners dug up its seed and planted it.” It’s fascinating. Manako says, staring deeply at the tree.

“You two!” Suddenly, from the direction of the main street (southwest), a smooth voice calls out to them. From amongst the crowd, Helia appears.

“Hey.”

“Well? Any luck?” Helia asks with baited breath.

“Well…”

“We got two,” Manako answers her.

“Two?! That’s wonderful.” Helia lets out a thankful breath. “Where are the other two?”

“We got split up, Yoshida chased after a Thief, and Eris followed him,” Neia reports, looking to the southeast street.

“How long has it been?” Helia asks.

“About 2 hours now… I told them to search the other half once they finished, so their probably there.”

“I see…” Helia takes a breath.

“How did you do?” Manako asks.

“Not very good… We asked and pleaded, but nothing came of it. Da- Father is staying there in case anything changes,” Like someone returning their ticket. Helia says. “But I did learn some valuable information.”

“What?”

“The adventurers' guild purchases several tickets in case of emergencies, like requesting help or for medical emergencies.” Helia looks over to the right of the ornamental building in the center. A massive building lies past a moat of water, placed just in front of the Leto tree. “The receptionist said they may be able to give us a few.”

“Sounds good to me,” Neia says, standing from the fountain.

“Sure…” Manako agrees.

“Okay, I would like to wait until the other two return, but… It’s best if we get a move on.” Helia says reluctantly.

The three of them walk towards the large building, its walls made of tan wood, split up into a flannel-esque pattern by dark brown wood. Windows break up the light wood in repeatable patterns on each of the 3 floors. Shifting lines of color mark the building, lining the dark wood.

The doors to the building lie across a small bridge, which extends across a moat, fish swimming against the current.

“Welcome!” A young woman calls towards the three as they enter. The building is nearly all wood. The same tan color makes up the walls, pillars of the dark brown wood split it up at the corners. To the left is a stairway upwards, to the right are seats and couches.

The three walk towards the woman behind the counter, which stretches out along the back wall. Impromptu wooden poles split the floor in front into lines, with red carpets placed in between.

“What can I help you three with today?” The young woman asks. The entire building is nearly empty; only one other woman occupies the first floor. A woman who could only be described as “Black” stands in front of a door next to the counters.

“Hi, we have a kinda strange request…” Helia begins.

“Oh?” The receptionist’s face shifts to worry. Her outfit is a simple yet eye-catching buttoned shirt, which allows for an ample amount of cleavage to be seen.

“We were wondering if you have any tickets for the Delphoscere train tonight? We really need them.”

“Tickets..? Ah!” The receptionist places her fist in her hands. “We do… but I can’t just give them to you, not with everything going on…”

“Is there a problem?” Manako asks.

“Well… I’m sure you guys saw the Dragon earlier, right? On top of that, the monsters outside of town have been showing up more and more. Have you three noticed the lack of guards around the city?”

I suppose the only one I’ve seen was the one chasing the thief… Neia thinks to themself.

“Well, that's because they’re practically stuck at the walls, protecting from the monsters that have constantly been appearing.” The receptionist says. “I’m sure you see how empty it is in here, right? All of our adventurers have been sent out in hopes of finding the Dungeons the monsters came from.”

“I see… And you don’t want to just give the tickets away in case you need to send for reinforcements?” Helia ponders.

“I'm not too worried. Our top adventurer, Benard, was sent to find the dungeon where the dragon has made its nest. It's been a week since then, but no monster could harm him, so I'm sure he’s fine.” The receptionist gains a proud look on her face. “The rest of our adventurers were sent to stop the monsters from showing up. They should be back soon.”

“Then what if we helped out? We could go deal with some of the monsters.” Helia suggests. “Could you help us then?”

The receptionist thinks for a moment before glancing towards the woman and door at the back.

“I… I can spare two tickets, no more. But I can't send chi-” The receptionist looks the three girls over. They're not young enough where they can be called kids, but not old enough to be called adults either. Maybe 15-16 years old?

“I'll go with them.” A voice interjects, the woman dressed all in black says, walking towards us.

“I'm sorry, you are?” Helia asks.

“Uda Wróbel.” The woman replies.

“Ms. Wróbel, are you sure?”

“... It’s fine, they’ll continue for a while yet,” Wróbel says, her eyes glancing towards the back door.

“The master’s gonna kill me once their meeting is done…” The receptionist says, pulling out a piece of paper. “Here, hand these to the guards and they’ll let you know what to do.”

“Thank you!” Helia thanks the receptionist. “And thank you too, Ms. Wróbel.”

“... Don’t mention it.” She says in a soft voice.

And so the three, joined by Wróbel, set out for the city walls.