ALL NOVEL Ch 74 – Registration
Inside, the Adventurers' Guild was little different than the outside. To the right, a wide staircase led a couple steps down, towards the bar. Aside from that, it was just as expected. Filling the hall, dozens of adventurers talked to each other in small groups of about ten people. Most, it seems, were composed of two parties, discussing joint missions or talking about their last one with friends. A large board was hung on the wall, filled with small pieces of cheap scrap paper, mentioning the contents and rewards of their missions. Necro looked around the room, both for their friends and for a receptionist. Though, after just a couple seconds, she felt someone pulling down on her sleeve.
"Nec."
"Huh?" Necro leaned towards her, trying to hear her soft voice over the loud chatter of the crowd inside.
"They're not here. Let's go upstairs." She said, pulling Necro by the arm. The two walked across the room, attracting the eyes of many fellow adventurers. Ace was a known face around here already, but Necro wasn't, and a beauty such as her was bound to attract the eyes.
The couple walked up a spiral staircase on the corner of the room opposite from where they came from. Necro was surprised to see the atmosphere above was completely different from that beneath them.
"This floor houses the reward and request desks as well as the general administration and resource rooms. Loitering around is not allowed, so people stay downstairs." Before she could ask, Ace explained some of the workings of this branch of the guild.
"I see... There's a third floor though, right?" Necro asked, following Ace towards one of the many desks
"Yeah, third floor is reserved for the Guild Master and high profile adventurers, there's a lobby there for them, and a separate missions' board, with only High-profile or High-difficulty ones."
"High-profile?" Necro asked, not understanding why they would need high class adventurers for anything other than the most dangerous tasks.
"Sometimes, some very rich merchants and nobles will hire adventurers to accompany them as bodyguards in missions to other countries or for high-stake negotiations. Having a famous adventurer will help with your standing and also makes the other side understand you have more power."
"I... don't really wanna know why you know all of this, though."
"No, no, don't get this wrong. I already went upstairs once since I'm a noble. Having someone from a rich family join the guild is a huge thing for them, if they can use their identity for money."
"I just hope they don't realize who I am and just leave me alone then..." Necro muttered to herself, unaware of the massive flag she'd just raised.
"What can I help you ladies with?" A young woman asked them from behind her desk. Her dark-blue eyes and light-blonde hair made Necro remind herself of some beautiful pottery she had seen long before who-knows-where. Her pale and spotless skin also helped, making herself look more like a piece of decorated porcelain than a person. This woman was clearly a westerner, from the likes of Galice. But her race was what raised Necro's interest. Her pointed ears made it fairly clear that she was an elf, a very well-known one, Shore-elf, a race of elf known for living in mana-rich regions near the coastlines. And this one was from very far away.
"My friend here wants to register as an adventurer. —She also needs documentation." Before the clerk could answer her first sentence, Ace hurriedly added another one, putting a silver coin onto the desk as she did so.
"Doe— I see... I'll proceed with her registration as an adventurer from the countryside. What class do you belong to?" She asked, looking towards Necro as she pocketed the coin as if nothing had ever happened.
"I'm a Mage."
"Huh?" The clerk tilted her head, as if she hadn't understood what was just said.
"She said she is a mage. Now let's get this going with." Ace lightly rapped the desk, calling the woman's attention and making her hurriedly grab a form, a quill and a small but chunky engraved stone tablet.
"Sorry, I'll now proceed with the Adventurer Data Assessment. They also call it the Sheet, or the Status. It takes a while for the Magic Tool to register the data, so we do it first, and then fill up your registration. Is that ok?" She asked.
"Sure." Necro answered, allowing the woman to hold her hand and put it over the markings on the tool. She soon felt all but her ring finger being stinged, as her blood slowly flowed through the tool's channels and began glowing blue. As soon as the glowing became stable, the clerk let go of her hand, proceeding with the registration.
"Now, what's your name?"
"Necro."
"Is that a nickname or—"
"Just Necro."
"Okay, sorry. And how old are you."
"18"
"Alright. Necro, 18, Mage. I guess you are from..."
"Transylvania"
"Right. I think we are almost done." The clerk moved her hand forward, grabbing the hefty chunk of stone and metal that was used as a tool and turning it upside down. She lowered it onto the form, imprinting it with the glowing blue ink while she infused her mana into it. The mana necessary to generate the process was not so much, but both Ace and Necro were amazed at the amount that was required to circulate into the tool for it to activate. It was clearly a measure to stop unauthorized people from using it. Granted, both of them could if they wanted, but not knowing you could withdraw most of your mana from the tool once it was done would be a major problem. It would take away almost the entirety of Ace's, and leave a fair dent on Necro's unparalleled mana reserves.
"We are done no—" The clerk hummed happily, until she laid eyes on the squiggly lines left on the paper. She stared at it, blankly, watching the text go from a phosphorescent blue into a dull black, blinking. "I... Please wait for me right where you are. You two, make sure these girls do not leave this floor." she exclaimed to the nearby clerks, who promptly left their positions to accompany the two to a waiting room.
