Meeting the Members

“Done already?” Joseph asked.

Han shook his head. “It hit them harder than us. Best to give them space, they’ve already said they would follow any decision I make.”

Joseph muttered under his breath and continued forward, stopping at the top of the stairs, Han trailing right behind.

Turning to look at Han, Joseph spoke. “So… care to share any information? Was this random—or are we supposed to be here? I’m not so stupid to have not realized your behaviour. Can I assume it’s safe here?”

Han shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, I do not know. We were always meant to come here eventually, just… not this soon. I can’t tell if fate is being cruel or kind.” Han’s gaze lingered, and he blinked deeply before steadying himself.

Joseph’s brow raised. “So, you do know this place?”

Han gestured toward a crest mounted on the wall. “Fallenshade. A struggling guild in the southern-most territory, and also my…” Stopping mid-sentence his gaze lingered on Tokko, realising he couldn’t just say anything he wanted.

Noticing him holding back, Joseph couldn’t do much and moved on. “A guild, huh? Like the monster slaying kind? Are we joining?”

Han hesitated, then his gaze snagged on a picture frame hanging nearby. His face shifted, briefly struck, before he nodded. “…If we’re able to.”

He glanced back at Joseph. “I know you’ll have questions, but—”

Joseph cut him off. “Save it. Wrong place for sensitive talk. If it wasn’t, you’d already have told me everything whether you wanted to or not.”

Han chuckled quietly and followed Joseph down to the second floor while speaking. “Fair enough. I’ll speak with the Guild Master, Osric. I’ll meet you downstairs after.”

“Ok. Remember our deal though—make sure he knows of it. I don’t want him assuming he has control over me beyond what’s reasonable for whatever guild rules are in place.” Joseph was firm on this, he wanted to make sure he kept his freedom.

“You won’t need to worry about that. There’s a reason why we were planning to come here regardless of when.”

With Han reaffirming his end of the deal they separated, Joseph continued downstairs with Tokko in tow while Han headed back to the main office. In the lobby, he once again saw the older man who had let them in—Gavin. Hearing the steps, Gavin turned around and smiled, skilfully putting various more tools into a basket.

“Room too stuffy for ya? They ain’t particularly nice beyond sleeping in.”

“For a single person they seem manageable. But no, that’s not why I’ve come back down, a few of the others are having some sort of identity crisis, while Han’s gone to meet the white-haired guy—wants to see if we can join or something.”

Looking at Joseph with a slightly odd light after hearing him talk about his teammates that way, Gavin put it aside. “Well, if you really want to, I doubt Osric will have a reason to refuse. However… I hope your leader knows what he’s getting you all into.”

Hands to his side, Joseph shrugged. “He knows his stuff usually, he’s also quite naturally lucky, so I’ll just follow along. If it ends up being a bad option, I’ll ditch ’em.”

Stunned again by the lack of comradeship, Gavin let out a dry laugh. “Urok would like ya. You ain’t close with your friends?”

“It’s a relationship based on survival and needs. Nothing more, nothing less. They have resources I need, and I have strength and abilities they want.”

Sighing with a hand to his head, Gavin motioned toward a nearby archway. “Well, it ain’t my business what goes on between ya, so long as it don’t harm the guild. Come, I’ll give ya a look around.”

Through the arch was a large multipurpose room—living, dining, and kitchen all combined. A long table that could seat twenty dominated one of the corners. In another corner were decently kept couches and chairs, books spread across a few battered bookcases. The left side was lined with kitchen necessities, ending in a medium-sized bar.

At the back, two wide glass doors opened onto a vibrant garden. Dark wooden floors, vintage furniture, and well-worn appliances gave the room a lived-in, homely feel.

“This is the main livin room, where most of the guild hangs out. Through that door there, is the cellar; it has wine and other stuff like that. Kitchen’s over there, pantry next to it.

Back in the lobby y’all find the storage room. The toilet’s outside ta the left in the outhouse. Bathing stuff’s on the right behind the fence—if ya see a red cross, it’s in use. As such if ya using it, flip the board to da red cross as well.”

Looking around, Joseph saw three people inside, while another sat under a tree outside. Gavin pointed them out one by one.

First, a blonde man in his early thirties sipping wine. “That’s Balthazar von something-or-other. Everyone’s long since given up on the full name—just call him Bal or Balth. He’s a vampire and a solid scout. Decent guy to ask for help if ya need it, don’t touch his wine though, it can get messy real quick.”

Next, a tiny pink-haired girl with glowing wings, reading a book in a wooden cage-like perch on the ceiling. “That’s Mello, the guild’s librarian. Don’t expect much outta our little library though. She’s your girl for magic advice, but tread lightly—her temper’s sharp.

She ain’t like the kind-spirited fairy folk you might expect. Say the wrong thing, and she’ll blast ya without hesitation, we’ve lost a few in the past to her.”

Then, a man in black armor, hair and sword to match, drinking an ale while reading a heavy leather-bound tome. “That’s Clive. Odd fellow, a bit like ya. Rarely sticks around—he’s usually out on missions. Strong as they come though, one of our best warriors.

Impress him, and he might even teach ya something. He’s got a soft spot for those who prove themselves. Monster fanatic however, careful what ya claim as fact or theory when it comes ta monsters.”

Finally, outside in the garden sat a man meditating, moss literally sprouting from his skin and clothes. “That oddball’s Duranta. A demi-druid—raised by dryads, human by origin. Friendly sort, but he’s… eccentric. Talks to plants more than people. Still, he’s a master of near everything: magic, weapons, survival. There’s little he don’t know, and if ya ask, he rarely refuses ta help.”

Gavin looked back. “There are four more members not including Osric, but three are away on missions, and one mostly keeps to herself in her room. As much as I’d like to show ya more, I’ve work ta do. Layspring season’s busy, and I’m the only one doin’ it.”

Turning around and walking back to the arch, Gavin pointed up the stairs.

“Second floor’s got Osric’s office, the library, and a studio—best stay away from that though, Mell’s claimed it. Third floor’s just rooms. Same with the fourth—yours. Ladder leads to the top floor, a lookout mostly. Oh, and the third-floor toilet’s busted. Funds are tight—we can’t recharge it yet.”

Joseph nodded, having taken in all that information. “That’s fine. I’ll explore the rest later, depending on how talks go. Tokko, any questions?”

She hesitated, as if afraid to ask. Joseph gave her a sharp look, causing her stuttering to stop as she spoke quietly. “Is… there women’s toiletries?”

Expecting a tougher question, Gavin smiled. “We ain’t savages. While funds are thin, Osric makes sure we don’t suffer. Outside toilet’s stocked. Bathing supplies, Thalia should have ’em. I’ll put some outside your room when I get the chance for you and the other lass.”

Tokko bowed politely. With her only question answered, Gavin excused himself and went back to work.

Meanwhile Joseph headed outside, breathing in the fresh air. After the dungeon’s staleness, he realized how much he’d taken clean air for granted.

After a few minutes he glanced at Tokko. “I’m gunna train. Your body’s still wrecked, so relax for now. Sit down here, rest upstairs, whatever. Or, if you feel up to it, practice some skills or talk to people. Doesn’t matter much, whatever you feel like doing.”

Hesitantly nodding, he left her to decide and surveyed the garden. A dishevelled fence ringed the space, beds of flowers blooming bright against the greenery. Activating Spirit Sight, he saw green and brown spirits drifting all around—different from the gray wisps he was used to.

Near Duranta, the demi-druid especially, spirits clustered together in a thick haze, with a strange pink type among them he’d never seen.

A few spirits drifted toward him, clinging to his skin like faint fabric. No doubt the effect of his Spirit’s Affection passive.

Warming up with a jog around the garden, he returned inside and spotted Tokko sitting quietly in a corner. She almost rose when she saw him, but his ‘stay’ expression kept her in place.

Turning his attention to the guild members inside, he picked the gloomy one in armor. “Hey. Anywhere nearby I can hunt for levels?”

In his black, metal and leather armour, clinging tightly to his skin, sword leaned against the table and deep black hair and eyes, Clive looked up briefly from his book, his gaze flicking to Joseph’s bow.

With a voice low and gritty, he answered. “Go that way, you’ll find a hill with rock piles. Beyond it—wild lands. Wolves, orcs, hobgoblins, rock crabs, fauns. Common enough.”

He didn’t elaborate further, lowering his head back into the thick tome full of monster sketches and notes.

Bow and arrows already at his side—one of the few things that transferred with him when his other belongings were left behind—Joseph jogged off in the direction Clive indicated.

‘I’ve already lost days of progress in the dungeon and going through way too much dialogue. I’ve been itching to increase my level and skills again. I also have to keep ahead of Han—he’s the baseline, and unless I do my own thing I need to be able to resist against much stronger opponents.’