Elias walked down the cobbled streets for a number of minutes—his eyes darting across the various wooden door signs jutting out from a variety of buildings. He saw swords, pouches, what looked like herbs and most importantly, over a dozen tankards.

  He smiled as he knew he’d made it back, truly made it back. Seeing a tavern was a certain indication of things looking up. He glanced down at his linen covered form and sighed. Drinking was off the menu for now—as soon as he’d found the unholy-holy-bastard, he’d make him buy the drinks.

  So, he did what anyone looking for the Adventurers guild would do: he stopped the next available scary-looking adventurer type and asked—he got an odd look from the man as he took in his dried blood and dirt covered face, but after the initial moment of surprise, he promptly gave directions, Adventurers occasionally ended up quite dirty—who was this man to judge?

  It wasn’t long until he found himself stood in front of a large building, two wide curved wooden doors embedded on a magnificent structure, it wasn’t made of anything fancy and didn’t have any detailed masonry—it was just enormous. Stone-brick walls and orange terracotta tile, multiple floors and balconies and a tower that shot up thirty or so meters in the air. It was impressive.

  Above the doors there was a massive sign reading: “Levanse Adventurer’s Guild”.

  He’d found it, and he’d avoided any drama that he could’ve stumbled across.

  He stepped up to the doors. As he entered, the room opened up to a large open-floor type setup. Dozens of round wooden tables decorated the space with simple chairs. On both the left and the right were slightly raised platforms with more of the same, a couple of steps leading up to them with railings all around.

  Centrally at the end of the space was a wooden counter with two quite… well, very attractive women, dressed in white shirts, buttoned to just below their necks and dark blue blazers—only the top half was visible.

  Filling the rest of the space, well. There was a LOT of adventurers, of all types too. Even some dwarves. Certainly humans, half-elves and a couple of beast-kin. They were covered head to foot in a variety of equipment and armour. It immediately made him blush at the state he’d arrived in.

  The quality of their armour and weapons were leagues ahead of the equipment he’d found in the room before the Trial of Defiance as well. The ripped and broken leather and chain armour had lasted only a couple of battles. The equipment some of these adventurers wore could handle a hundred battles and still come out OK.

  His jaw dropped as he watched in awe of the bustle around him. He was stood in the grandest of places, the place where all his dreams would come true… or… would have. It was different now.

  Although he felt an overwhelming sense of relief and joy from his surviving the Dungeon. He didn’t feel happy. No, this moment should have meant so much more, his first time in a guild was supposed to have been with him becoming an adventurer—hand in hand with Tess.

  He didn’t really know if she had wanted to become an adventurer, but, if she hadn’t had any other plans, he would’ve taken her with him. He’d never abandon her—not by choice.

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  The words Jacob had used in the trials flashed back into his mind—“You’ve already abandoned her once…”

  He shook himself. Not now. No. This was still good—he’d still made it. He just had to find Uthred. “Hey, you gonna mind out?” a voice called out from behind him.

  “Huh?” he responded as he turned to see the source of the voice: A young-ish girl, probably still older than him, was standing behind him—she had a light grey cloak, dark, almost black tight leather armour strapped to her torso and legs and two sheathed daggers.

  He remained dazed for only a half-second before realising why the girl had addressed him, he was still stood in the doorway. He’d spent almost a minute trying to take in the Guild and the atmosphere it projected that he’d completely forgotten to move out the entrance.

  “So? You gonna move?” she said, this time a little more insistently.

  “Oh! Right, yeah.” He said as took a few steps to the side, “Sorry!”

  She immediately stepped inside and walked in the direction of the counter, her hips swaying slightly and he found his eyes focus in—a few steps in, she stopped and turned—catching him in the act.

  “What are you even doing here kid? You look like you’ve had the shit beaten out of you”

  He went bright red as his eyes returned to her face, did she notice? God, she definitely noticed, “I, well. I’m here to find someone.”

  “Yeah?” She replied as her previously neutral face twisted into a grimace, “Ugh, you’re all the same. Why’d I even talk to you?”

  “Huh?” he said as she turned once more and moved swiftly towards the counter and the two ladies, “Wait! What do you mean?” He got that he looked a bit, worse for wear right now, but that was normal for adventurers? Or—was it? He guessed it had to be, why else had the dozens of people in the Guild Hall seemed so unphased by his dishevelled appearance.

  She didn’t look back.

  He noticed a few of the adventurers in the vicinity giving him side glances—after obviously overhearing their conversation, they looked away a few moments later, so he just shrugged and moved towards the counter. He’d been perfectly nice, he didn’t get why she’d gotten so offended, it was a little rude too and after what he’d just been through—he didn’t need that.

  As he approached a few steps away from the counter, the girl turned and stared daggers into him, “I thought me walking away in disgust was obvious enough for you. Leave me alone”

  “Look, I don’t know why you’re being so rude, I don’t even know your name. Why’d you even ask what I was doing here if you were going to be such a—” he said as he felt a tinge of annoyance bubble up within.

  She cut him off, “I didn’t realise the first thing you were gonna do was try and chat me up!” She leant towards him and he noticed that her face and ears were going red.

  He had no intentions whatsoever to ‘chat her up’, or whatever it is that she meant by it. In fact, he didn’t even want to talk to her in the first place.

  “I had no intention of doing whatever it is that you thought I wanted to do. Like I said, I’m here looking for someone!”

  “There you go again! See, huh. You’re just so stupid! All of you!” she spat back,

  Elias felt a temper rising up from within—this time it wasn’t essence driven, instead, it was just the situation, he kept his eyes locked on her, “I’m stupid?! Well, I’m sorry that I’ve spent Twin-knows how long in a gods-forsaken Dungeon and just when I finally get to interact with another person, I end up with you!”

  The two ladies behind the counter were staring directly at them. He groaned internally, but, wasn’t ready to let the angry girl get the last words in, not right now. There was no need for it, she didn’t have to be so aggressive in the first place. No one was ever like this in Haven’s Point.

  Her face twisted slightly, and one of her eyebrows raised, “Huh? You’ve just got out of prison? Well… Yeah, I guess that makes sense, first stop—adventurer fantasy.”

  Huh?! She thought he just got out of—no. No, no, no.

  “No, you’ve got this all wrong! I’m looking for a man!”

  Her aggressive posture changed immediately as she laughed, “Oh! Hah, that makes so much sense—I totally got the wrong end of the stick,” she paused and winked, “I guess there’s no better place to chase some burly men.”

  The girls behind the counter gasped and looked away.

  He choked on air as he realised what she’d just implied, “No—I—Wha—?”

  The leather-clad girl turned back to the staff at the counter, “So, like I was saying before horny back there interrupted, I want the job.”

  The two girls took only a moment to compose themselves before one addressed her, “Lena, we’re really sorry—we want to give you the job, but—it’s a minimum of two quest. We’re just not allowed to give it to you. It’s Guild rules.”

  “Guild rules?! Come on, It’s me. You know I’m good for it! Please?” Lena said as she pressed both of her hands on the counter.

  The Guild staff glanced at each other briefly before both shaking their heads. The other spoke, “Guild rules are in place for a reason. Unless you manage to find someone else to party up with you, there’s really nothing we can do.”

  He watched as Lena huffed, stomped her feet and looked as though she was about to go off on a tirade at the two workers before she turned to him and smiled. “What is she thinking?”

  “Hey! Horny,” Lena said as she stared at him, “You’re coming with me!”