(TLO) Chapter 114: Solo Adventurer (Patreon)

The adventurer’s guild building was a massive conglomeration of roofs and buildings that rivaled the sight of castles ancient even to the world before the first crack. Its compound was larger, large enough to occupy ten more of it. It surprised Seth because he hadn’t known there existed a place within his father’s territory with a much larger space than his father’s compound.

While he walked in with Jim, he did well to keep his awe from his face. The shawl fit him nicely, and despite its hardness, it was comfortable and did nothing to hinder his sight. Jim had claimed they would have the ring, an artifact that drew ambient reia, stitched into the shawl after the test. So, for now, he simply had it secured inside one of the Reverend’s pockets.

“Will you be using a gun or your swords?” Jim asked as they stepped into the building’s open doors, and he took a moment to consider his choice.

For one, he was good with a gun, his aim nigh impeccable. But his swords allowed him a certain versatility the guns did not.

“Why can’t I use both?”

Jim spared him a sideways glance as they strolled inside the building. It was a busier place than Seth had expected. Too many people bustled along, going and coming from one task or the other. Each one held at least one file. One man he caught carrying almost ten folders.

Nine, one of his minds counted for him. And we don’t think he’s souled.

The interior of the building was a marvel to look at. The floor was covered in black reflective marble, clear enough to serve as a mirror. It carried lines of white swirls and curves that did much in the way of design. the central hall was clear from the ground to the ceiling, held up by beams interspaced properly on both sides of the room.

They walked a while longer while the workers somehow avoided bumping into them despite their hurry. Seth found himself wondering when last he had seen so many people and came up empty. Soon, they came to a massive desk of glossy wood brown and black at different points. Behind it three women stood in identical uniform of white shirts inside blue vests. They finished it off with black skirts. But whatever they wore as foot wears were hidden behind the desk.

On both sides of the hall, too far for him to cover in one [Quick Step] were wide stairs that led up to another portion of the building. Beneath them, on both sides of the women he assumed served as receptionists were pathways that led deeper into the building.

“How may we help you, sir?” one of the women greeted with a wide smile that was clearly practiced, honed over years of use.

“Tell the guildmaster, house fifty-eight is sponsoring an Iron mage for a rank test,” Jim replied, sliding a card on the desk.

The lady that addressed them did not move to take it. Instead, the lady beside them reached forward and slid the card from the table. She spared it a brief glance, her eyes widened slightly, then she rushed off in quick hurried steps that did not seem rushed. It was so practiced Seth would’ve believed it was simply the way she walked if he hadn’t seen her reaction to whatever was on the card.

The lady who’d addressed them remained standing, fingers interlocked in front of her, her wide smile still plastered on her face.

“Just a moment longer, house fifty-eight,” she said amiably, “The guildmaster will be informed shortly.’

Jim nodded and gestured to the passageway on their left. “May we?”

There was a reluctance before the lady nodded and Jim walked towards the passage. Seth followed calmly beside him. In his range of awareness, he felt the receptionists watching him suspiciously.

That’s one worried look she has, one of his minds thought.

“Worried?” he asked, quietly.

“Not really,” Jim said. “I just don’t think it best to reveal all your cards. As a marksman, you can serve whatever team you join from the rear, providing cover support. As a swordsman, you can join in the heat of the battle.”

We can’t necessarily say she looked worried, another mind replied, as Jim lectured. But there was a bit of worry in her suspicion.

“Perhaps I look too young to be an adventurer.”

“I will not deny that,” Jim spared him the briefest glance. “But all you have to do is pass the test. And remember, your teammates will be watching.”

‘So I best put on a good show.”

“Yes. But I was talking more about what you show them. You’re either a marksman who knows his way around a sword or a swordsman who knows his way around a gun. You can’t be a marksman and a swordsman.”

“And you expect me to keep up the façade for an entire year?”

Jim shrugged. “I doubt you’ll be in the same team for a whole year. I can always change it up. You can be a semi-solo adventurer.”

Seth looked up at him even though he was constantly aware of the man and didn’t need to. “Semi-solo adventurer?”

They passed two locked doors. There was a third door that wasn’t locked, inside two people sat over a game of chess while a man timed them.

“Mental aptitude,” Jim explained without being asked. “And a semi-solo adventurer is one not tied to a team. They are rare but not nonexistent. They usually join teams that need them to fill a specific role or just need more numbers.”

“Doesn’t that mean they should be in high demand, though?”

They passed another room. In this one, a group of children practiced unarmed combat, tossing and throwing each other in varying styles.

Are they raising child adventurers? His mind asked.

“They are, but it’s also a deadly line of work.” Jim led them through a door to the right, and out of the dark hallway, it opened into a spacious waiting room with velvet chairs and a small table of colored glass, stained in blues and reds and yellows. He continued as he took a seat.

“Imagine someone new joining your team, let’s say a front man, an attack mage. Then you find yourself in a nest and are struggling to get out. In such a situation, as the leader you’re left to make an important decision. But one of you has to die. Who would you pick?”

“The person with the least chance of survival,” Seth answered.

Of course, a mind thought, mocking. Timi has the least chance of survival and we’ll just let him die.

He knows it’s not the right answer. He’s just being pretentious.

“Honest answers,” Jim sighed. “Lies, pretenses, and stupidity will get you nowhere with me. If anything, it will reflect in my report as your handler.”

Seth bowed his head slightly. His answer had not been an attempt to deceive. Or maybe it had. He had intended to come out as logical. A seminarian whose actions were not guided by emotion. It had been a stupid attempt.

“I’d choose the new guy.”

“And that’s part of the reason semi-solo adventurers are rare. They have a tendency of not coming back from risky situations with the teams. The other reason is because those of them who try to go solo from time to time rarely ever make it back alive.” Jim leaned his head back on the chair and stared at the ceiling. He seemed tired of saying whatever he had to say next. “There’s a reason everyone works in groups. You always need someone to cover your back.”

“You, however,” he said after the briefest pause. “Will be given solo missions from time to time. I will send you out to explore and discover. Most of it will be dangerous but not beyond your capabilities. And considering you’ll be working with Silver mages, I’d expect you’d be able to handle most of them.”