As soon as they parted ways, Fei headed towards the city's gates. Perhaps because they arrived early, or because of the time of the year, the number of people lined up to get inside the city are fewer than it was when she left.
The line wasn't that long, so waiting in line wasn't that much of a deal for her. Soon after, she was allowed entry to the city. The moment she stepped into the covered walls of the city, she was assailed by the all-familiar site before her.
"I'm finally back~", she said as she stretches her arms towards the sky, perhaps reliving herself of the soreness from waiting in line. The scent of newly-baked pastries lingers in the air, prompting her appetite to act up again.
"Time to head back to the inn," she said as she walked towards the ever-familiar street. She made her way in the maze-like alleyway, before finally making it to the Lunar Tear Inn.
The owner of the inn was busily sweeping dust off the road in front of the inn. Even though she was just away for a few days, she was happy to see a familiar face again. She slowly walked towards the owner, not forgetting to greet her.
"As busy as always huh, owner?" she said, her way of opening up a conversation with her acquaintance.
The owner, surprised by the sudden appearance of Fei, looked at her before answering back.
"Haha! So you're back already!", the owner replied as she placed a hand on her waist, the other on the broom she was holding now vertically.
"Yeah, I'm back," Fei said, before rummaging inside her bag. She didn't forget to bring the owner a souvenir, just like she promised. However, her idea of a souvenir does not necessarily fit with what normal people would think of.
"Aha! Found it!", she said as she tossed something towards the owner. The owner caught it with one hand, before asking her what it was. All that she could make out of the object was that it was some sort of animal fur.
"It's the tail of a Veros. You can use it to wipe dust off desks and tables, or the streets," she said. On the way back, she and Eisen encountered a group of Veros. Of course, she "politely" asked Eisen to hold back so she can study them more carefully. As a result, she acquired quite a number of them. She has no other use for them aside from selling them for money, so she decided to give one away to the owner.
The owner, seemingly pleased with the trinket, guided her inside the inn.
"Your room is exactly what it looks like before you left," she said, assuring her.
"Thanks. I'll be running some errands around town until later tonight, so I'll be leaving immediately," she said as she makes her way towards the stairs. As she was about to head to her room, she saw a person coming downstairs.
"Oops, sorry," she said as she stepped out of the way.
(I haven't seen her before), she said as she caught a glimpse of the girl. She was wearing a robe and a staff in one hand. A mage perhaps? Her attire is exactly like the ones from the university she graduated from.
(A fresh graduate mage, huh?)
The owner noticed her gazing at the girl earlier, so she decided to fill her in on the details.
"Oh, that girl. She just arrived yesterday. Probably hoping to become an adventurer, I assume," she said.
It is not uncommon for newly-graduated mages to set out to become adventurers. The reasons may vary, but in the end, they will mostly find their way here in Ancdam. Adventurers are always facing dangerous situations, so having a mage in your party is a form of reassurance for many.
After unloading her belongings, she bid farewell to the owner and went towards the city center. Her destination is towards the guild, to file a detailed report about the new monster species that they've encountered in Presling Grove.
As she entered the guild, the boisterous voice of the adventurers filled the hall. Some are recruiting companions for a quest, others are devising strategies, while others are busy haggling prices of monster materials with the guild receptionists.
She went to the counter with the least number of people lined up. In just a few minutes, it was already her turn. A middle-aged man was the one entertaining adventurers on this counter.
"What can I do for you, little miss?", asked the receptionist.
Fei took out a couple of papers from her bag and placed them on the reception table.
"I would like to make a report on the new monster species spotted in Presling Grove," she said.
The man took the papers and read them. After reading the contents of her report, the man said that he would need to speak with the guild master first regarding this topic, and excused himself.
With nothing to do as she waits for the receptionist to come back, she went around the hall, towards the quest bulletin board. She checked all the requests plastered to it. The majority of the quests are monster subjugation, herb collection, and material collection, the usual requests one would see within the guild.
"Oh!" she exclaimed as she saw the subjugation quest for a pack of Veros seen near the city.
"These are the ones we've encountered earlier," she said as she reads the details of the quest.
That's when she heard a clamor forming at one end of the hall.
"Don't mess with me!"
Curious as to what is happening, Fei leaned towards the source of the ruckus, only to find an adventurer facing off with a mage. It is not uncommon for fights to break out between fellow adventurers.
The adventurer in question is a tall man, with a broadsword on his back, a warrior. It is evident just by looking at him that he was an experienced adventurer. She then turned towards the other party.
"Huh!?"
She was surprised to see the girl she met earlier at the Lunar Tear Inn. She didn't get a good look at her before, but she could see that she was just a few years younger than her. She holds a stoic expression as the man continued.
"You must have cheated your way up the ranks. There's no way a feeble girl as you have the same rank as me, a B-ranked warrior!" the man exclaimed.
Apparently, the guild had just gotten her adventurer rank the other day. Turns out that she was B-ranked, making her the talk of the town since yesterday. The man must have been upset that a rookie was ranked the same as him, so questioned the guild about her rank, but was turned down, saying that their assessment is fair and final.
The girl who remained silent since earlier, spoke for the first time.
"Fight me then," she said as her eyes coldly stared towards the man.
"Huh!?", the man said, as if not believing what he just heard.
"Me, fight you? You must be joking, right?" she said as if he had just heard the lamest joke ever.
"It's OK to be afraid," she said, as a slight grin formed on her lips.
"!"
The man, having none of it, decided to draw his broadsword from his back.
"You asked for this! Don't blame me if I accidentally cut a limb or two!" he said.
He propelled his huge body towards the girl, his broadsword swung over his head to deliver a destructive blow.
"Orryyaah!"
Fei can only look in disbelief at the spectacle before her eyes.
The man was hanging in mid-air as a chain of light coils around his body. Like a statue, he was held in place with his sword still in its striking form.
"What is this-!" the man exclaimed when suddenly a shard of ice was pointed to his throat.
"Checkmate," the girl declared.
The whole guild was in an uproar. They weren't expecting a rookie to overpower a veteran in just two moves. The girl, oblivious to the cheers from the surrounding adventurers, released her magic holding the man. Like a puppet whose strings have been cut, the man suddenly slumped to the floor with a look of disbelief on his face.
The girl walked away as if nothing happened.
(Wow! She's amazing!)
Only words of admiration came into her mind towards the girl.
"Ms. Guillard, the guild master would like to have a word with you,"
She was reeled back to reality as soon as she heard the receptionist call for her.