The rhythmic clatter of the horse-drawn carriages across the cobblestone streets and the buzz of early city life didn't do much to deter my breakfast of scrambled eggs, thick slices of smoked ham, and a warm, buttered roll from almost leaving my stomach. We had left the house early after breakfast and arrived at the town of Kerith, but my tolerance for carriages seemed to have dwindled since Revelation.
"We should've walked," I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady as another jolt from the carriage sent a wave of nausea through me.
"Is he still whining?" Mr. Thorne asked with a small frown, glancing back at me.
"He's always been like this," Maya replied, not bothering to hide her amusement.
"His parents told me. I thought he would have outgrown it by now."
I had to admit that my current state had less to do with being in a carriage and the fact that I was overthinking about what this was going to be like. What could I bring to a guild with only a fireball spell, and the inability to learn any innate spells gain any spells or skills by talisman. There was the chance I could gain innate skills since that was never specified in the series for some reason, but they would all revolve around the fireball spell and judging from what was in front of me I doubted they would do me much help.
I glanced at my status screen again, checking the single skill I had managed to unlock.
SKILL: [HEAT RESISTANCE]
DESCRIPTION: The user has a natural protection from heat.
Skill Class: Beginner.
Skill type: Ability
Unlike spells, skills activated automatically when needed, like an instinct. So, at the very least, I wouldn't have to worry about getting burnt. It wasn't much in terms of combat, but it was something.
"We're here," Mr. Thorne announced as the carriage slowed to a stop.
I looked up, my nausea momentarily forgotten as I took in the sight before us. The towering building ahead had two tall, spire-like structures reminiscent of cathedral towers, but these were attached to more rustic-looking buildings that spread out in all directions. The iron gate before us was adorned with the image of a raven in flight, its wings outstretched as if in mid-swoop. Mr. Thorne stepped down from the carriage and, with a practiced kick, swung the gate open.
"Is that okay?" Maya asked, watching the gate swing wide.
"Yeah, it's fine," Mr. Thorne replied casually, gesturing for us to follow him inside.
We walked through the gate and into the estate. The courtyard was expansive, filled with lush greenery and well-kept flower beds. The cobblestone path led us to a stable where Mr. Thorne parked the carriage, handing the reins to a stablehand who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"I trust you're doing well, Edward," he said to the man.
"Splendid, Sir Thorne," the stablehand responded with a respectful nod.
"This is Loid Herrett, and his friend Maya," Mr. Thorne said, pushing us gently in front of him.
"A pleasure to meet you, young lady, and sir," Edward said with a bow, his formal demeanor suggesting he was more than just a stablehand—perhaps a butler or steward of some sort. His graying hair gave the illusion that it was his natural hair color.
"Likewise," Maya replied, her tone polite.
"A pleasure," I echoed, trying not to sound awkward.
'Did he bring us to some place filled with nobles?' I thought anxiously.
"So, how's the place?" Mr. Thorne asked, his tone casual.
At the moment the words left his lips, a loud crash echoed through the courtyard. I looked up to see a giant hole in one of the buildings on the second floor. Debris rained down, and a plume of dust as well as white smoke billowed out from the opening.
"Smashing," Edward responded, his voice laced with the slightest edge.
Mr. Thorne sighed, rubbing his temples. "Seems like nothing's changed," he muttered under his breath.
"Should we... be worried?" asked Maya, glancing nervously at the damaged building.
Edward shook his head, his expression remaining calm despite the chaos. "Nothing to be concerned about, young sir. Just a... few antics by the young Miss, I presume."
"I'll sort this right out," he said, walking up to the building.
Following him, we reached beneath the part of the building where the incident took place. "Excuse me," he said, and then took a step on air, then another step, then another and another.
"He's using Plus Step—hey!"
"What are you doing?" exclaimed Maya.
I was interrupted by Mr. Thorne, who took hold of the both of us and followed Edward, using the air as a foothold. Reaching the building, he then put us down as we both tried to catch our breath.
"Get ready to meet the guild. Try to make a good first impression," he said, but as we looked forward, we saw a brown-haired girl on her knees being scolded by Edward.
"But it was just seven times this month," she said enthusiastically.
"Oh! In that case, it's perfectly okay."
"Don't just say things sarcastically like that," she pouted.
"Stop doing these things in your room then. That's why you have a workshop."
"It takes too long to walk there. My genius comes and goes very quickly, and you won't let me sleep there anymore," she complained.
"Because you weren't doing any sleeping."
They both went back and forth, but it was obvious that the current Edward was very different from the one a few minutes ago.
"That's Gwyn. She's the guild master's daughter," said Mr. Thorne, averting his gaze.
"How... nice," said Maya.
"Hey, what's going on in here?" said a voice coming in through a hole in the wall instead of the door.
"Oh! You made a really big hole this time, Gwyn. Awesome," said the cyan-haired male with a fanged grin and slitted eyes.
'Beastkin,' I noted.
"Not... awesome. I wish you of all people would take this seriously. You make the second highest number of damages to this house."
"Huh! It's not my fault I fight in my sleep," he said carefreely.
A moment later, he was on the ground on his knees as well.
"What kind of place is this?" muttered Maya.
"That was one hell of a wake-up call," said another voice, this time walking through the door.
"Morning everyone," he yawned.
"Hey Loid, Maya. LOID. MAYA!" said the person who we recognized to be Ethan, running up to us and giving us a hug.
This prompted the other two to look in our direction as well.
"Uncle Thorne!" shouted the girl.
"Thorne!" shouted the boy as well.
"What are the both of you doing here, and who's thi—" began Ethan before being shoved out of the way by both of them, who ran over to greet Mr. Thorne.
"I missed you so much!"
"I've gotten stronger!"
"You didn't respond to my letters!"
"Please fight me!"
"I've got some patents I need help with!"
"Fight me!"
"Okay! Calm down, both of you. I'd like you to meet Maya and Loid," Mr. Thorne said, gesturing to us.
"Hello," we said in unison, waving.
"Hello," they responded, waving back.
The situation felt awkward.
"They'll both be joining the guild," Mr. Thorne added, which caused their faces to light up.
"Are you serious?" Gwyn exclaimed, suddenly in front of Maya with her hands clasping Maya's between hers.
Maya nodded, which only fueled Gwyn's enthusiasm even more.
"My name's Gwyn! I like machines, making machines, and studying machines. You have no idea how happy it makes me to have another girl in this place. It's so nice to meet you," she said, her words spilling out rapidly while shaking Maya's hand a little too vigorously.
"It's nice to meet you too," Maya said, getting assaulted by numerous questions.
Meanwhile: "Hey, do you like fighting? Let's fight! Let's fight! Let's fight! Let's fight! Let's fight!"
"Um! It's nice to meet you," I tried to say, but this weirdo kept asking me to fight while punching my arm—and it freaking hurt.
"That's enough, Bryn. Leave him alone," said Ethan, walking up to us.
Bryn pouted but backed off slightly, still bouncing on the balls of his feet with restless energy.
I took a step back, relieved to have a moment of peace. "Thanks," I muttered to Ethan, who just gave me a sympathetic smile.
"Don't worry about it. Bryn's harmless, just a little... intense," Ethan said. "You'll get used to him. Eventually."
I wasn't so sure about that, but I nodded anyway. Meanwhile, Gwyn was still talking a mile a minute, her excitement only growing as she continued to bombard Maya with questions.
"So, what kind of machines are you into? Have you ever built anything before? Do you know how to use a wrench? Oh, we should totally go to my workshop together!"
Maya, for her part, was doing her best to keep up with the onslaught of questions, nodding and giving brief answers whenever she could get a word in edgewise.
"Okay, okay, everyone settle down," said Edward, raising a hand to calm the chaos. "We're all excited to have new members, but let's not overwhelm them on their first day. We still need to introduce them to the guildmaster, remember?"
Gwyn immediately stopped talking, her eyes widening. "Oh, right! We should go see Dad!" she exclaimed, grabbing Maya's hand and practically dragging her toward the door. "Come on, he's going to love you!"
"Wait, I'm not—" Maya began to protest, but it was too late. Gwyn was already pulling her along, her enthusiasm unstoppable.
"Guess we're going too," Ethan said, gesturing for me to follow.
I nodded, and we all started making our way through the building. Bryn continued to hover nearby, occasionally glancing at me with a mischievous grin, as if he was already planning an inevitable sparring match. I shivered; I had watched enough TV and anime in my past life to know that anyone who liked fighting that much was not someone you should be trying to fight.