“Alright, that must be it.”

  Checking the dragon sign one last time I go inside where an old but well maintained entrance hall awaits me. You can tell from the stained wood that the path to the reception desk and to a board full of papers is well travelled. Though right now, it seems pretty empty. Probably because it’s early noon, they must all be on a quest. The few people present are mostly either standing in front of the wall with a lot of paper on it or day drinking in a corner of the guild while looking kind of disheveled. Taking a deep breath to must my courage, I walk up to the receptionist, she looks pretty friendly. She’s a young blonde woman with glasses.

  Giving me a smile as I approach, she picks up her feather and a booklet.

  “Hello there, how can I help you?”

  “Hello, I would like to become an adventurer.”

  “Alright, so you’re here to register. Do you know how to read and write?”

  “No.”

  Keeping a professional smile but seeming a little less invested than before, she answers, “Hmm, alright I’ll help you with your form then. First, what is your name?”

  “Jara Shahom.”

  “Is that some sort of Elvish name?”

  “I’m not sure but that’s what people call me.”

  Looking at me very skeptical, she thinks for a second then gets up from her chair, “I see…Wait just a second, I’m going to get our guildmaster to help out. She knows Elvish.”

  Now that she is getting up from behind the counter, I can tell that she is wearing a tight blue skirt and a clean white shirt with a dragon emblem sown into it. This must be that uniform thing I heard about since even the ones cleaning up and sweeping the floor look similar.

  The secretary then disappears for a bit upstairs and comes back with an Elven woman with green hair tied up in a knot, she is wearing a clean whiter shirt and tight green pants but it doesn't look like a uniform. She also seems muscular but quite lean and has multiple scars on her body, she seems like a young adult. Also, it’s quite subtle from the way she walks but if you take a good look you can tell one of her legs is fake even if you can't see it.

  Confidently walking down the stairs, she hands me her hand for a handshake.

  When I take it, she gives me a very firm handshake and a smile, “Hello there. My name is Shara Seleen, I’m the guildmaster of this establishment. I hear you need some help with your application?”

  “Yeah, thank you.”

  Taking out a booklet and ornate ink pen, she asks, “So, I was told you can’t write or read, is that correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And your name is?”

  “Jara Shahom.”

  Letting out a smirk, she gives me a smug look as she answers, “You know that isn’t a real name, right? Did you just copy it somewhere because you thought it sounded cool?”

  “No ma'am, that’s what the people at the docks call me.”

  Slightly intrigued she raises an eyebrow, “And why do they call you that?”

  “That’s because when they found me that was the only thing I could say.”

  Her smile vanishing, she asks, “When they found you? Did something happen?”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Holing my arm to soothe my nerves, I answer, “Maybe, I’m not sure. They picked me up at the docks two years ago, I didn’t speak Uni then either. The only thing I could say was ‘Jara Shahom’ so they named me after that.”

  Getting serious, and mustering me up and down, she asks, “Are there any official documents with that name on it?”

  “I don’t think so ma’am.”

  “Good, because your ‘name’ means ‘I want to go home’. It’s a sentence not a name.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  Crossing her arms she seems to think for a bit, “Say youngster. Why do you want to be an adventurer?”

  “The people at the docks said I eat more than I’m worth so I need to find a job.”

  “Then why not just find work somewhere else?”

  “Because there aren’t many jobs for people with no past or skills.”

  Getting slightly annoyed, she answers, “Are you aware that adventuring is a dangerous job? I lost my leg to it a few decades ago.”

  “I’m aware ma’am.”

  “And you still want to join?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Letting out a sigh and growing perpetually more exasperates with each question, she asks, “Do you even have the five big copper for the sign up fee?”

  “No ma’am, I was hoping I could maybe work it off by not getting paid for the first few quests.”

  “Do you have any training or skills?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Do you have any equipment?”

  “I have a fish cleaver.”

  Throwing her head back and looking at the chandelier above us she sighs, "I guess that’s still better than nothing. So to summarize, you don’t know your own name, you have no skills, barely any equipment, you can’t write or read and you can’t even afford the sign up fee?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Looking back down with a questioning look, she asks, “And you think we’ll want you here?”

  “No ma’am but I would like the chance to prove myself. I’m a hard worker.”

  Massaging her forehead she says, “We don’t run a charity here, you know? But your story does intrigue me. I’ll let you join after I made sure you didn’t make this sob story up..." getting a slight smirk on her face she adds, "I’ll even sponsor you if you can answer one more question correctly.”

  “Thank you ma’am, what’s the question?”

  She points at her face and gives me a smile, “How old do you think I am?”

  “You look like you’re in your early five hundreds.”

  The secretary looks at me wide eyed, “How did you know? No one guesses her age right the first time.”

  “I don't know, she just looks like it.”

  The guildmaster smirks and says, “Perhaps you are closer to xxx than you look. I’m 512 so you are correct… How about I give you a real Elven name?”

  Giving her a smile, I answer, “That would be great, I can’t keep calling myself ‘I want to go home’ after all, haha.”

  “Then I’ll name you Thoma Ahad. It means something akin to ‘Lost One’. Just make sure to always introduce yourself with your full name, the meaning of Elvish names gets lost when you split them up.”

  “Alright! Thank you ma’am!”

  “Pfft, you are welcome youngster." Spining her pen around in her hand and pointing it at the booklet she asks, "So, Name: Thoma Ahad, Age?”

  “I don’t know,”

  “Hmm, presuming you are fully Human I’d say you’re probably around sixteen. You don’t seem to have any Elvish characteristics either so I’m writing you down as 'probably Human', maybe mixed. Sex: Male, Address?”

  “Clamway 13.”

  “Alright, role: Frontliner, specialization: ‘To be determined’. So, to summarize, your name is Thoma Ahad, you’re 16, probably Human, your role is Frontliner and you live in Clamway 13, correct?”

  “Yes ma’am!”

  “Good, just one more thing, put your hand on this crystal.”

  Going behind the counter, she pulls a sky blue crystal ball the size of an apple out of a cushioned box that was stationed next to a pile of documents and hands it over to me. The second I touch it it starts to glow.

  Looking slightly impressed she says, “Very nice, above average mana without prior training. You might have talent as a caster. Once you have finished learning how to write and read I’ll ask someone to start teaching you some spells.”

  Really excited, I can't hold back my emotions as I ask, “I’ll get to learn spells AND how to write and read!?”

  “Yeah, I’ll pay for the lessons too since you answered my question correctly.”

  Overjoyed, I hug the guildmaster and say, “Thank you very much! This means a lot to me!!!”

  Sounding surprised but still cheerful, she chuckles, “Haha, you’re a brazen one, huh?” She then pats my back before gently pushing me away from her towards the front door saying, “Alright then, off you go. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at sunrise. I’ll give you a small tour of the premises and hook you up with your first team mate.”

  “Alright! Thank you, Uli. Till tomorrow!”

  I then run out the doors overjoyed.

  —------------------------------------------------------------

  As they watch Thoma Ahad leave, the secretary glances over to the guildmaster, “What does 'Uli' mean?”

  Tapping her foot on the ground with her arms crosses she answers, “It means auntie…Something is very fishy about all of this and I don’t just mean his smell. Have someone discreetly follow him. I want an extensive background check by the end of the week.”

  “Yes ma’am!”

  —----------------------------------------------------------------