Testing My Luck in the New World

On the surface, the Adventurer's Guild looked about the same size as the Mage's Guild, but the differences between the two were readily apparent. This place so poorly held itself up to the same level of upkeep the other promised, that it looked to be straddling the fence on whether or not it was about to fall into disrepair. It was to the point where, had Yua not worn that confident smile of hers the whole walk here, I would have assumed she'd been mistaken. That this place was something else entirely removed from the sort of organization that housed those supposedly guarding the city from the dungeon monsters. Ripe with the stench of alcohol and noise that filled the streets, it looked closer to a tavern.

The sounds of drunken merriment bore down on the almost lyrical strumming of what I could only assume were the strings of a bard's lute. In the face of this alcohol-addled distraction, the soft and joyous tune still managed to dance its way out the Guild's swinging half-doors to envelope those walking the street in the early night. The laughter inside was so fresh in the air that it felt like your one and only thought you should have had regarding it was that it'd be a fun place to bring your friends for a good time, rather than to work.

It didn't seem the sort of place one would want to bring a book, let alone read it. And I doubted this building had whatever enchantment the Mage's Guild had that allowed its interior to grow so huge. So, if the number of horses tied down in front and around the building was anything to go by, the place was packed.

"You sure this is the place?" I asked, knowing her answer already.

"Absolutely. I never went in myself, but I know this is where all the Adventurers go after fighting in the dungeons."

"So, you're just assuming this is the guild?"

It didn't exactly have a billboard with rotating lights circling around to make it stand out from all the rest, but its exterior, like the Mage's Guild, wasn't what I was expecting. Though at this point, I guess I should stop expecting anything. Most of my expectations were wrong, anyways.

Yua shrugged and said, "I'm not assuming. I've heard Adventurers talk about it several times. Both in the dungeons and in walking past it."

"Right. Well, it's not like I have a reason not to believe you. But I guess it's hard to deny."

Several well-armored men and women came and went like clockwork, never leaving it free of the need to keep the booze flowing. But it wasn't just those clearly geared for battle that visited, as more dressed in more casual fair who, judging by their flushed cheeks and staggered steps as they waddled out of the building were only there for the booze. Regardless, each and every person I checked entering or leaving the building were Adventurers. Either on duty or taking a break, possibly for one of those holidays I imagined, I noticed no less than a dozen of these sorts confirm the Guild's existence while we milled about to observe the place we may well be working for soon.

What intrigued me about them was not their dress, though the two women wearing more of that skimpy bikini armor did catch my attention for a second or two. It was the variety of video game-esque characters that felt standard issue in a Guild. Rough rugged brutes who, even by Earth standards, looked to large enough to lift you up over their head without breaking a sweat. Those that looked gentle and cunning on the outside, but who held themselves with the sort of dangerous air that suggested you truly didn't want to fight them. More so were elderly, clearly learned in their respective fields and were out giving advice to their younger compatriots for the low low price of a drink to grease their lips. Then there were those robed fellows that looked to have been sent directly from the Mage's Guild to take on a quest for themselves or to party with another team. And more. So much more that even those just carrying their party's gear had a place at the table.