This is an Adventurers' Guild?

It became clear during their time on the road that money would be a high-priority issue. But what could Ilara do? She was trained in magic, not moneymaking, shielded by a lifetime of academic achievement. As such, Ilara could only think about signing up for gainful employment at the closest adventurers’ guild. Though what kind of employment was ungainful? Ilara thought about the country’s history for a little bit and… anyway.

It didn’t take her and a fully energized Alric long to finally get to their very first adventurers’ guild. It was in a quieter, older part of an already quiet and old town.

It wasn’t a cheerful sight. It was even less cheerful when she realized it was right next to an orphanage. It seemed the goddesses—if there were any in the first place—were sending her reminders that she was now in the real world, as smile-less children stared at her while Alric parked them right next to the building.

What little excitement Ilara had after seeing those kids vanished the moment they walked into a large, dilapidated wooden building.

Soird stown Adventurers’ Guild

The sign had seen better days, or perhaps years. She could swear the town’s name was missing a letter, too, but she couldn’t make out what it was under the missing piece of wood.

They could smell the humidity indoors, which disturbed the otherwise nice aroma of the dark tree woods that furnished the building with tables, chairs, and a counter. The lack of respect for that nice wood and that building in general was appalling but unsurprising.

Ding. There was a small bell on the counter, which they assumed was to get the staff’s attention. Ding Ding Ding Ding. Alric seemed to enjoy the sound.

A half-asleep human girl slowly made her way across the room. Ilara respected a fellow daytime napper that also resisted work, and Alric, well… he was Alric. He just stood there smiling. In fact, he seemed like a happy puppy in that place, eyes wide open. For a moment she considered adventuring with a dog. What could a dog do with Potentia and Celeritas? It was worth considering.

But Ilara couldn’t be harsh on him, in fact his smile made the whole situation feel a little better. It was the beginning of his adventure, after all.

With Alric metaphorically wagging his tail, Ilara had to do most of the talking.

“Hi, I’m here to obtain a community service seal from the guild of this region.”

The young human girl, with messy but somehow well-trimmed red hair that reached her neck, stared back with apathy. That made Ilara like her even more. “Boss!” she shouted after a good, long stare.

An old lady emerged from a door in the corner and walked towards them. She was just as slow as the red-haired brat, but judging by the smile on her face, that wasn’t by choice.

“Hi, I’m here to obtain the community service seal from the guild of this region,” Ilara repeated, knowing the red-haired guild employee wouldn’t bother.

The old lady smiled. “I’m sorry, we haven’t had first level guild certification for a while…”

While Alric wandered around the old guild building, starry eyed, Ilara sighed. “Then what is this place?”

“We’re just a second level adventurers’ guild, we still help the town, but we can’t give major rewards or, in your case, a seal.”

It made sense. The building’s state of disrepair, the indifferent staff…

“Where is everyone?” Ilara asked.

“The few adventurers we have here are searching for a missing boy.”

“I see.” Finding missing children wasn’t in Ilara’s skillset. “Very well. Then could you provide us with a place to stay and offer our services so we can resupply before we depart?”

The old guildmaster nodded. “Of course. Helly, show them an adventurer’s room.”

They walked up the stairs where the adventurer rooms were. Something about the word adventurer was already cause for dread. And sure enough, the abandoned room welcomed them with a musty smell. She was never going to get a good night’s sleep again, was she?

Alric didn’t seem happy with the scene, either. That, or he really enjoyed cleaning. “Can you show me where you wash clothes? And cleaning supplies?” The red-haired assistant led Alric away, hopefully to something more productive.

After she dragged her belongings into the room, Ilara went to look for the guildmaster. It didn’t take her long to find the old lady again, who was hard at work despite the appearance of the place. She realized the problems in that guild were abandonment and budget, not laziness.

“Excuse me guildmaster, I would like to advertise my services as a healer for this town to replenish our funds.”

The old lady had an impossible smile on her face. “So you’re that S rank healer!” News traveled fast and apparently, traveling those roads by horse was faster than by Alric. “I’ve heard all about you. Of course! We might not have much money to pay in this town, but of course every guild must provide you a room and food. I’ll spread the word too! We’ve had a lot of healers over the years, but none of this caliber. I’ll have Helly assist you.”

Given that the choice was being pampered by the military or traveling in those conditions, Ilara understood why most healers avoided it. “I’ll do what I can to repay your generosity.”

“Nonsense, girl.” The old lady patted Ilara’s back which made her wonder if she had sounded too generous.

For the rest of the day, Alric was seen scrubbing laundry and floors and even walls. Was he trying to scrub the roof too? It was preferable to look away and hope Alric wasn’t causing trouble.

Ilara unpacked and made herself comfortable in the room and hoped nobody other than Alric occupied the extra beds. She was finally able to take a daytime nap, in blankets and pillows that even smelled clean. Perhaps Alric was good to have around, after all.

When she woke up, they had ototo stew for dinner. Creamy, hearty, full of spring spices and vegetables, legume-y, buttery… Finally an actual meal. A warm one at that.

Two adventurers, physical brutes like Alric, a human man and a woman, as if any of that mattered, walked in while Alric, Ilara, and the two guild workers had dinner. Ilara quickly glanced at them in case they would benefit from healing, but other than being tired, they were unharmed.

“Any word on Moise?” the guildmaster asked.

The two adventurers shook their heads, dejected. “There’s been rumors of beastfolk appearing around these parts, it’s not looking too good.”

“Why did that boy have to go and get himself lost?” The adventurer shook her head as she messily poured the soup in her mouth.

Sure, blame the child for getting lost. But Ilara understood it was the frustration talking. It wasn’t like she could help, either. With the beastfolk around, it was likely that the boy had come to harm, or was at least being held for ransom, and she didn’t want to state what she thought was obvious. What could she do, anyway?

Either way, despite the glum dinner, after being on the road for a few days, that place, dark and damaged as it was, wasn’t too bad. With the warmth of that soup in their bellies, Ilara and Alric finally got a good night’s sleep.