The second after I spoke those inside the branch's large reception room turned to gaze at me. As they did I felt their curiosity while I strode towards the fallen adventurer. Those in the room were all waiting to see both what I did, and if I could actually help the adventurer on the floor. As I reached the man on the floor I began to speak, even while I moved to kneel so that I could administer the antidote.
"Hello, adventurer! It seems that you have been the victim of a nasty critter. Fortunately for you, I am a peer of yours and I have the supplies needed to heal you." I told him, before lightly shaking the tiny vial containing my antidote. As I appeared in his field of vision I watched his eyes widen in shock and even a bit of hope.
When I drew his attention to the little vial he began to make pained but hopeful noises. I smiled at him, happy that he understood my words. That meant that the venom coursing through him hadn't done that much damage yet and his gruesome appearance was deceptive in that it suggested he was worse off than he actually was.
"Your look of understanding is excellent news for the both of us. All I need is for you to open your mouth and drink half of this bottle." I told the man, gazing warmly at him.
He attempted to nod, but found he couldn't, and instead moaned pitifully before beginning to slowly open his mouth. I gave him a sympathetic look and when his mouth was open enough I unstopped the vial and began to lightly pour the antidote into the man's mouth. The antidote was smoothly poured into his open mouth and he drank it with only mild discomfort immediately beginning to look better thanks to the antidote.
As he drank the antidote I sensed the impression I was making on the handful of men and women inside of the office begin to change. The other adventurers in the room began to gaze at me with more than mild interest, and I heard their minds begin to wonder about me and the future of my career as an adventurer. I gave them the impression that I was a support-style adventurer, who was able to buff or at least heal my teammates and they liked that, which made sense since the nearest major dungeon was one crawling with enemies that left lingering, challenging wounds on adventurers. I learned that by peering into their minds and the mind of the receptionist.
The instant the green liquid touched the man's lips and began to slide down his throat he began to look better. The purple lumps on his throat began to vanish and the swelling on his face began to visibly reduce in intensity. Some of the people watching the events unfold visibly exhaled, and the receptionist began to clap.
"Oh thank goodness! Thank you for your aid sir. I didn't have any antidotes and he just... collapsed so suddenly I was frozen in shock. He appears to have been suffering from a poison that he was unaware of. as if he were undergoing a delayed reaction, or had just chosen to endure the poison." The receptionist, a pretty young brunette woman with flowers in her hair wearing a red uniform, told me.
I turned to speak to the receptionist, ready to flash her a winning smile, but before I could do either of those things the man on the floor next to me began to cough weakly but painfully. I turned back to him and smiled softly, before using one of the few spells I did know that wasn't a cantrip.
I began to emanate a soft, blue glow as my mana was converted into potent healing energy. I concentrated the energy in my hands and then poured it out of my limbs and into the man. He was an adventurer who from a glance was a few years my senior, and upon entering his mind and taking a cursory look around in there had had an unfortunate encounter with a creature in the nearby dungeon known as "The Emerald Cavern", which was the place I had overheard another adventurer ask the same receptionist who was behind the desk about earlier.
The man sighed, and this sound was a pleasant, relieved one, as my spell poured into him. I was using a simple healing spell, one even the weakest adventurers could use provided they had the needed magical energy to do so and the knowledge needed to cast the spell. The light I was pouring into him served to both numb him to the pain his body was still feeling, while actually healing some of the direct injuries he had suffered while in the Emerald Cavern. I listened to his mind race even as he continued to sigh in relief.
"Antidotes and healing spells? Not bad new guy!" One of the other adventurers uttered, loudly enough to be heard. When I turned and smiled at him he nodded respectfully at me. Other adventurers began to make similar remarks, some more excitedly than others, as the few people currently in the room realized that through me there was a new, viable way to explore the Emerald Cavern with less discomfort than before. I could tell that in this city at the very least support-style adventurers were not especially common, and especially not ones with healing magic.
I turned back to face the receptionist and introduced myself. I looked at her and smiled, all while locking eyes with the pretty, blue-eyed young woman.
"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Raul Medrano, and I'm a G-ranked adventurer from a small town near the Modred mountain range. I was told by the guard who let me into the city, Lopez, to stop by here before I went anywhere else in the city." I told her, my voice warm and calm as I spoke. I looked into her mind and even as she began to speak learned her name: Ignacia.
"Well good morning Raul. I'm glad you're here, and that Lopez sent you. His choice to advise you to come here first and your choice to follow that advice might just have saved Anthony's life. My name is Ignacia and as soon as you are ready, come over here so I can input your information and also see if I can't reward you for helping Anthony." Ignacia told me, a relieved smile on her face as she spoke to me. I nodded and after visually scanning Anthony for a split second I stood back up and walked over to Ignacia's desk.
Ignacia was sitting in a simple wooden chair behind a protective and solid iron desk. She wore a cute receptionist's uniform that went well with the flowers in her hair. Once I was close to her I could see that she had a stack of papers in front of her.
Ignacia had long brown hair that I could tell she worked hard to take care of. She smelled like the flowers she wore in her hair, even though thanks to my ability to read her memories, which worked instantly, I knew the flowers were actually fake and the smell was a spray she used every morning before coming to work. She had alluring pink lips and carried herself with a confidence that came from her having worked as a receptionist for years.
I reached into one of the shirt pockets on my adventurer's uniform and pulled out my identification as I came to a stop in front of Ignacia's desk. I smiled at her and told her that I was here to do some sightseeing, adventure for a bit, and make some money. She listened to me as she took my card and began to copy the information on it onto a sheet of paper. When I was done talking she looked up at me and now that she had some time to calm down after the excitement from earlier began to size me up.
I felt her stare inquisitively at me. She studied my posture, my muscles, my height, and even the look in my eyes. I heard her mind mull over my words and replay earlier events over while she thoughtfully studied me. This was something she did to all new visitors to this city's branch of the adventurer's guild, and as she did it to me I telepathically heard chuckles from the other adventures in the large reception room. They all recalled their own silent "Ignacia'a inquisition" as they had taken to quietly calling it. Eventually, the receptionist smiled at me and began to speak, satisfied with her internal investigation of what she knew and what she could learn about me.
"Well, Raul this might be the perfect city for you to come and stay in for a while. As you might be able to tell, due to the chaos of when you first arrived here, we happen to be somewhat short on support-style adventurers, which is a big inconvenience for us because 'The Emerald Cavern', Jasper's local dungeon and the biggest draw we have for adventurers, is teeming with creatures that can poison people." Ignacia replied to me, sighing as she spoke.
She, like many of the adventurers in the city, was annoyed at how few supporting adventurers came to the city. I sensed her relief that a new one had shown up, and her gratitude to me for saving Anthony's life. Behind me Anthony himself actually began to slowly get up, groaning all the while. Ignacia and I both laughed, quietly, as the man I had saved began to get on his feet for the first time since he collapsed.
Ignacia was then silent for a moment, thoughtfully considering whether or not to ask me if I happened to have any antidotes I could sell her. After a few moments of consideration, she realized that with me she had an opportunity to avert disaster and opted to take it.
"If you want some easy money we are currently out of antidotes and we frequently need them. Our supplier recently fell ill and has only just recovered, and I'm not sure if you know this, but making antidotes is normally a pretty intensive, involved process that takes a few days. I am very afraid that the emergency that you averted with Anthony could just happen again with someone else if you leave and someone else comes in, poisoned by one of the inhabitants of the Emerald Cavern. If you happen to have spare antidotes and could sell them to the guild, we'll make sure you receive more than fair compensation for them." Ignacia asked me, looking at me hopefully. I smiled at her and reached into my shirt pocket again.
I repeated the earlier trick I had done, feigning as though I were pulling something out of my arcane inventory when I was actually creating two things using my "Creation" power. The first thing I was creating was the vial to hold the antidote in the first place. The second thing I created was the antidote itself. I pulled it out of my pocket and when Ignacia saw it, she smiled delightedly at me and moved to grab a piece of paper to note the transaction.
I chuckled and shook my head at her, before repeating the ruse and creating three more. When I placed them on the desk her eyes widened and she looked at me curiously.
"Why do you have four antidotes you can spare?" She asked me before her eyes widened for a moment as she wondered if she should have been this skeptical. I laughed and gave her a look indicating for her to relax before I began to speak so that I could address her concerns.
"It's because along my travels I met a fair number of adventurers who told me stories about the terrors of being poisoned. I learned simple alchemy and herbology for the sake of preparing for moments like this. When I stopped at various towns for a few days I would create the antidotes using a portable alchemy lab whenever I was staying in a safe place, and as it so happened I only rarely needed to use them on myself so I saved a few. I also have other potions, including some that instantly heal people and others that boost someone's natural healing." I explained, casually. I sensed her consider my words for a moment before nodding and accepting my explanation.
I instinctively knew that the success of my explanation was due to a mixture of my intellect and charisma allowing me to come up with a plausible lie and also tell it in a way that was believable. I enjoyed the ease with which my "mind" abilities allowed me to control these sorts of social interactions.
Ignacia smiled as she finished writing down the number of antidotes she was getting from me, their value to the guild, and as she actually opened up her desk to grab the coins she was going to give me. I knew I could have refused her money, but if I did that, that'd be too convenient. I didn't mind getting compensated for the things I created, and in time if I wanted too I could easily perform more charitable acts of kindness. As Ignacia prepared the money she was going to give me, Anthony approached me from behind and placed a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Thank you, Raul. I owe you one!" He told me, his voice a deep, rich, baritone. He was a heavily tanned, warrior-style, adventurer who was shorter and less built than I was but made up for it by being a confident warrior who used a powerful two-handed axe in battle. I scanned his memories and learned how he fought, which was definitely very visually impressive. I turned and looked at him with a smile on my face.
"Anthony, you don't owe me one. I only did what all adventurers should do for their peers when any of us are in need. I helped you. And in doing so I was rewarded with knowledge." I told him, an altruistic smile on my face as I replied to the man. He considered my words for a moment before bursting out into a loud guffaw. As he did, he replied to me energetically.
"Oh Raul, I like you! You helped me out without question, and you tell me you're satisfied with 'knowledge'? If I was younger I'd have believed you were a saint in the making. If you ever wanna travel into the Emerald Cavern, give me a call a few days in advance. I'll escort you." Anthony told me, smiling at me. He had blue eyes and they glistened excitedly as he offered me his services as a warrior and escort.
The next few minutes passed quickly as I conversed with both Anthony and Ignacia. During the conversation, I'd be told about the locations of various inns, and I'd ask about the National Arcane Academy for the sake of seeming to acquire new knowledge organically. Both of my new friends were quite helpful, and when I left the guild half an hour later I had been "informed" of many things. I set off deeper into the city, intent on making my way to the public library of magic maintained by the primary, local arcane institution so that I could achieve my primary goal in coming to Jasper specifically.
I was going to learn more about magic!