Chapter 12: Peace's Embassy

Within the ivory palace of stone infused with the Sun, Amani and Iskatl stood. It was a large, open building that more resembled a government building combined with a church than a palace where royals lived. Amani sighed, noticing there was a long line before she pulled Iskatl into it.

He looked around and examined many random elves. Immense amounts of mana plagued the air, to the point he'd cover his nose, shivering as he tried to avoid any overstimulation. He's realizing he doesn't really like being in the presence of a group of elves due to the high mana levels.

He began thinking about everything that had happened along the way. He was wondering what had even happened to Kouga. What was he doing on his pilgrimage? Was he enjoying himself? The Origami Killer, or well... Zyelt. What was he doing? Who was the First Descender? Or second? What Descender was Zyelt? His mother, Vyarra. Was she living? So many questions, and he couldn't find any of the answers... This world was filled with so many secrets, and he had to discover them all. But how? He needed tools that could help him find these secrets.

Lost in thought, Amani tapped Iskatl on the shoulder, and he was dragged from his thoughts. There they were, at the counter, finally. Iskatl decided he'd take charge, stepping forward and producing a bag of gold with an amount in it he felt would suffice. "I'm Iskatl, son of the Serpent Vyarra. I seek passage through these lands so I can join the adventurer's guild and move through them unimpeded."

A shorter Elven woman with brown hair, wearing a red uniform laced with gold. Blue eyes glimmered with mana, and she nodded, wordlessly producing a small card laced with mana and a detection spell. Iskatl immediately knew it was to confirm legitimacy; this was obvious to him. Smirking, he turned to Amani.

"See? I don't need your help with everything."

"You sure? Seem like a lost puppy most of the time, big guy." She'd teased.

Blinking twice, he sighed before going back to her side.

"To the Adventurer's Guild, then?"

She nodded before waving at the girl at the counter, then guided him outside.

"So, Adventurers like Tiruiel?"

"Not quite. The Adventurer's Guild was originally founded by Izalith, the first elf's youngest daughter, as a way to revere Tiruiel. An organization made to keep the peace throughout the lands. Many don't acknowledge them, but the organization as a whole is a neutral party when it comes to politics. When the world is in danger, you can expect the Adventurer's Guild to help save the day and restore order."

He'd nod softly before offering his reply, "This sounds like the type of group I'd like to hail from."

"Me too... I've never had any reason to join before Zyelt burned down my village."

They reached an out-of-place building made of stone and wood with a tiled roof. On the edge of the roof was a sign which shifted into the common tongue, "Adventurer's Guild." Upon closer inspection, a translation spell was woven into the sign. How clever.

"Well, I'll let you lead the way here, Iskatl. I'm not really familiar with the Guild, and you seem pretty good at navigating unfamiliar terrain."

Raising an eyebrow, he smirks before opening the door and moving inside, holding out a hand, which she took. They'd go inside together, and he'd look around. Unsurprisingly, there were many elves, but there were some humans, as well as some beastkin.

One person who stood out most was a pale woman with long, black hair. She wore a long black cloak with frayed edges, a clasp at the cloak's collar, a golden insignia with a shape that resembled a dragon's face. The cloak covered most of her body, and it was apparent she had almost nothing on below the cloak; there were markings on her face which resembled Iskatl's own, yet had a stark difference he couldn't really place aside from their shape. Her mana was wild, intense, and looking at it gave him a stomach ache, so he looked away from her. He'd shiver as he passed by him, looking at him; as she passed by, her gaze was cold and intense, yet felt like it was melting through him.

He felt so uneasy, almost like he wasn't supposed to be here, and before long, the woman was gone. Whatever she was, she was far from anything one could consider human, in spite of her looks.

"Who was that?.." Amani asked, with fear in her voice.

"I don't know, and I'd like not to know."

Despite his nature as a former detective, that woman wasn't a case he'd touch with a ten-foot pole. She was terrifying, and her presence was unsettling to him.

He'd go over to a counter obviously set up for adventurers to accept quests and bowed to the woman who was tending it.

"My friend Amani and I would like to join the Guild. What would be the process to join the Guild?"

"Oh, hello! Normally, you'd register with me, but actually our Lady Founder is here, and when she's within the Guild, she likes to perform the joining process. You'll receive a special signing bonus as a result. She'd love to see you, especially Moon Maiden."

Amani smirked softly and put her hands on her hips before the guild lady gestured for them to follow her, which they did. Led through the wooden halls, they were brought to a large room which appeared to be an audience hall with a magical wisp in the center. Amani's body reacted to the light, which made it evident that it was moonlight. The guild lady was already shutting the door before they could thank her.

The light sparked, and a woman came out of it. A shorter woman, though a tad taller than Amani. She had deep blue eyes and shaggy silver hair, which reached down to her back. She wore gray robes with brown arm wraps and smiled at the pair, holding an iron staff... Upon closer inspection, the staff almost felt like it was made of mana.

"Greetings, travelers. I am Izalith, the Silent Moon... Much like the Moon Maiden, I am a Lunar Elf. It is my understanding you'd like to ascend from being mere travelers to being adventurers? Let us make this quick!"

The pair nodded, and she smiled.

"Repeat after me. If I state my name, replace it with your own. I, Izalith, vow to act under Tiruiel's name. To keep peace within the world and save those in need. I put my life below others and prioritize those in need. I seek power, not to rule, but to protect. I seek to protect life and to save souls."

The two repeated what she said, as she said it carefully before she smiled once again.

"As a signing bonus, since I have the pleasure of meeting the Moon Maiden, I grant you both a treasury token, and obviously your membership amulets. The treasury token can be used to gain powerful loot from the guild's storage. Though, you need to complete a quest first for it to count. Take these amulets. They're made of a special metal that transmutes itself when you rank up in the Guild."

"This is going by so fast..." Iskatl stated with a sigh.

"Well, you seek adventure, no? I like to make this process fast, so you might be able to get to it as soon as possible, so to speak."