Bleary eyed and yawning Cedric sat alone at his parties table, admiring the thick red wyvern hide splayed over the rectangular surface. A trophy from one of his solo hunts making for a good story and a display of personal ability.
That being said he didn't hunt it to show off, he hunted it because it was strong, because it was exhilarating; the feeling of spear against iron scale, the flying of sparks from the clash of fire and might.
A small smirk played across his face, pride swelling in his chest, before yawning again. For the next week his party would be on vacation and it led to a few late nights of drinking or helping the head guild girl with some early morning tasks.
To put it simply he was bored.
At the very least he'd like to train with the knights, but this was supposed to be a vacation; both his party's mage Acra and the guild girl Erin had been obstinate about everyone resting properly meaning he couldn't train or fight. All there was to do was drink, eat, and sleep.
Not that he minded too terribly, he wasn't the type who needed to stay busy. He liked to relax, preferring to sleep outside in a hammock on nights when the weather was clear.
"Cedric!" A woman's voice called from the reception area. He huffed standing up stretching, snatching his spear from the wall wrack behind his chair. "Aye, I'm comin'!" He answered with a thick accent.
Cedric was not an imperial despite having been born in the empire, his hair was orange and eyes golden, his mother hailing from the crimson isles to the far northwest.
The islanders were all fair skinned with orange or red hair and ashen eyed. Unlike the imperials, who depending on whether they were from the north or south, were either dark haired or fair haired with either blue or emerald eyes.
People from the central and northern regions are the former and the southern are the latter.
He stepped into the reception area locking eyes with a guild girl. "What do ya need now ya nag?" Cedric asked with a smug grin.
She glared up at him from behind her round spectacles, an unamused look on her pretty face. A thick book in her hand and half a mind to whack him with it, before settling on thumping him lightly on the arm with it. "You're cute but far from funny you brat."
She gestured to a large crate. "Give me a hand." Cedric stooped snatching up the cumbersome crate with ease and carrying it into the back rooms, the girl watching him as he went.
Her name was Erin, the head guild girl. Her uniform was neat consisting of a dark green double button waistcoat over a white button up shirt with frilled sleeves and a knee length skirt over white trousers and soft black boots which came up to the knees .
Her hair was the same shade of orange as Cedric's but longer and parted to the right. Her face was fair with a button nose, pink lips, a sharp chin and eyes the color of ash.
She was short with a slender body standing at five foot one inches and looked no older than twenty which belied the fact that she was not only thirty-seven but also the mother of the twenty year old Cedric.
Erin's heart swelled with pride looking at her son's strong back, the muscle rippling through his white wool shirt. He was a handsome young man, standing at five foot eleven and liable to grow taller still. She held fast to the hope that she'd be a grandmother in the next year or so.
Alas she knew her son was just like she was at that age, holding little interest in settling down. If she at the very least had some assurance of her sons future then laying her head down at night would be much easier. But such is the reality of parenting, a constant prose of woes even after children grow.
Erin sighed, pulling her spectacles off to polish them lost in thought. "How long will Edurands current peace last?" She wondered. As strong as Cedric is, she was relieved that he was away from the city during the last siege.
With lord Witchmane heading the defense there was little to worry about in regards to the city falling. yet still, undead are an awful sort, especially the monstrosities the southern kingdom makes.
Erin shuddered remembering the sight of a wretched abomination consisting of several corpses sewn together to form an abhorrent serpent with the torso of a multi armed man and the body of a snake being wheeled to the grave keepers for study.
"How could such a thing be made?" The guild had a copy of the autopsy report provided by young Magdalene but she was loathe to read it, not wanting to know, as the real purpose of her question was less of the how, and more of the why.
What drives a person to do all this? To start a war and pervert the departed to such abhorrent forms and wretched tasks like tearing people apart and spreading death and to go even further by twisting the corpses of what was once living breathing people into literal monsters.
There was one thing she felt sure of; that there wasn't anything worse than that horrific amalgamation which assailed her sight. Morning light poured in as the guild doors opened. Erin slipped her glasses back on taking in the cat-eared Tora.
Erin smiled glad the girl was alright. The guild master had left her in the dark about a certain request from the capital. A request that made use of the lower ranked members as bait to lure out the Azure Eyes by tracking the adventurers who didn't return within a set time frame.
To say she was angry was an understatement. Had It not been for the guild knight Cid she would have quite literally murdered the guild master for feeding their adventurers to a monster. "The sooner that old bastard croaks the better off the world will be." She thought maliciously.
"Erin, I'm back." Tora beamed walking up to the counter leaning over it on her elbows. "Welcome back safe and sound Tora. I'm always happy to see one of my adventurers come home unharmed." Erin said, returning her smile.
Her eyes snapped to someone else who was standing behind Tora, unsure of how she hadn't noticed him. It was a one eyed boy, scrawny as can be wearing awkwardly baggy clothes and white hair that while pretty was much too long. to top it all off he was barefoot.
She opened her mouth to address him, but caught herself clearing her throat with a hand on her chest before focusing back on Tora.
"How faired the quest?" Erin inquired professionally. "I came up short, but I did find a talented aspiring adventurer." Tora puffed up confidently stepping aside gesturing to Asher much to Erin's chagrin.
"Just what on earth is this girl thinking?" Erin pondered. "This boy looks like he was one foot in the grave and she wants to make him an adventurer?"
She did her best to smile looking the white haired young man up and down.
"I am Erin the head guild girl. May I know your name, young man?" She asked.
"Asher." The boy replied curtly. "And why do you wish to become an adventurer?" "Money." Erin's smiling eyes narrowed as she appraised Asher shrewdly. "And why do you want money?" "I have a younger sister to take care of."
Erin's face softened. She was used to desperate people or vagrants attempting to become adventurers. People who were not at all cut out for the rigors of adventuring. This young man was one such person. A lad in a bad spot trying to earn quick coin.
Not in the least bit of good conscience could she allow him to become an adventurer. "I see. Unfortunately we don't have any incentive to license you at this time. Terribly sorry." She stated it plainly and politely, having rejected many others the same way.
"Come on, at least give him an interview, Erin." Tora huffed. "He saved my life and he's incredible despite how he looks." Tora went about excitedly relating the story of how Asher rescued her with many more words than necessary, feigning the swing of a tree branch as she did.
"Fine, fine. Ya chatterbox. I'll at least interview him so ease off." Erin relented with a wave of her hand, overwhelmed by the slew of words.
Grabbing a guild registry book and handbook she walked from behind the counter gesturing for Asher to follow. "We'll use one of the gathering hall tables."
They entered through a broad entryway into a large rectangular and spacious room with plaster walls and square stone floors. Sunlight poured through shuddered windows illuminating the room.
Candle chandeliers made from broad hoops of iron hung from rafters overhead and would serve to light the space at night.
In the center area of the room were smaller round tables for two to three people fitted with un-cushioned wooden chairs.
There were two mezzanines with the smaller tables on both sides of the room overlooking the area below.
Sitting directly beneath those by the walls were plain long rectangular tables with backed benches and chairs on each end in rows of five on both sides.
One could correctly infer by the furs or monster skins over the seats that they are reserved for specific parties.
The far side of the room had a fireplace that wasn't currently in use, mounted above it was the head of a jagged mawed Wyvern.
Next to it on the plaster was the head of a gryphon.
On the right posed on its hind legs was a stuffed animal that looked to be a bear with shaggy ochre fur.
Twisting horns curled forward from the sides of its head, a third horn jutted upward from the end of its snout. Its height brung its head above the second floor's railing, making it well over twelve feet tall.
It was more lanky than a normal bear with much longer front legs and a less burly body.
Looking at the tables Asher could easily guess the parties responsible.
A table with that same colored pelt draped over its chairs. Another with a vibrant red spread over its length as well as a rack that looked to be made for a spear on the wall.
He didn't see feathers anywhere, perhaps the party that hunted the gryphon went elsewhere? A twinge of guilt bit into his stomach at the possibility that he killed them.
The two sat down at one of the circular tables.
"Alright. So Asher, I'll need to ask some simple questions to start. First your identity. Where do you come from, what's your full given name? If you're from a noble house and traveling incog I'll need to know from which house.
I do promise that no one aside from the interviewer and the guild master will be privy to this information, not like I expect you to actually divulge said information; it's just a formality on the guilds part to avoid blame if a houses scion dies."
"My name is Asher, I don't know if that's my given name or not. As for where I come from, I can't remember. I do know that I turned fifteen recently, just not the exact day."
Erin wrote something down on some parchment. "I see. Well I don't know anything about amnesia but I'll have faith you're answering my questions to the best of your current ability. Do let me know if you suddenly remember anything relevant to the interview. Okay, have you had any affiliation with rogue groups, militant organizations or mercenary bands?" "No."
"Alright, are there any crimes you may currently be or become wanted for?"
"No."
"To clarify there will be a small waiting period before we issue your license while we check and it will be immediately suspended if not outright revoked should a wanted poster for you come in." "I understand." Erin spent the next few minutes writing in silence.
"Tell me about yourself. Have you received any kind of formal training in the martial practices? This extends to warcraft as well. If yes, I'd like to know what schools you hold affiliation with."
"Yes. I am mostly self taught but I learned from my father…" He winced a sharp pain shooting through his head. "Of course I'd be able to remember something when it pertained to swordsmanship" the thought aggravated him, hating that he may only be able to find his way in life through violence.
"Are you alright, need a moment?" Erin asked with a slight worry on her face.
"I'm fine. Please continue."
"Tell me about your school. I'm not familiar with any that teaches the use of a curved blade like yours."
"I don't know much about it other than what my father taught me about it." He paused thinking quickly before adding. "I studied a dual blade style unfortunately I lost my companion sword awhile back."
He added this incase in the future someone questions the similarities between the way he wields his sword and the Azure Eyes. Finding a new companion sword was always a possibility.
As an undead he only ever fought with one sword. There's not anyone who's seen him dual wield and lived to tell about it.
Not meaning to, he unprompted went into the finer details about the use of a shorter blade with a longer one, the techniques and tactics used.
Erin stared at him, her ears beginning to ring, understanding how this young man found his way into friendly terms with the socially distant Tora.
Both being complete yappers.
She reached over patting him on the head. "That's very nice but let's focus on the interview okay?" She said politely as if talking to a child.
"Next of kin? You said you had a sister, anyone else?"
"If there is, I am unable to remember them."
"Please bring her in so we can have the guild staff familiarize themselves with her. In case you die we need to know who to give your equipment to and possibly the reward if the request is completed post mortem."
Erin wrote something down. Before leaning back in the chair, a serious look on her face.
"Have you ever committed a crime you have not been charged with or feel you're not at risk of being charged with? I don't mean theft, I of course mean a heinous crime such as murder, or rape."
She knew she'd already asked him a question like this before but she preferred to press the topic to see if the people she interviewed got nervous when asked about a specific kind of crime directly.
Asher's heart thumped in his chest at the question. How should he respond? While he was responsible for the deaths of so many could he really say he murdered them? If someone took over your body and made you kill would you consider yourself guilty of the crime of murder; of the sin of depriving another person of life?
He breathed deeply before replying his voice slightly shaky. "No, I haven't. I have killed many people but I've never committed murder." His eyes were downcast and Erin could see regret there, a deep seated guilt like she'd seen in the eyes of veteran soldiers who passed through Edurand on the march south.
The hard lines forged from fighting for one's own survival, of making it back alive when others hadn't.
Something about this young man screamed danger, but maybe it was because she was biased from being a mother but this boy seemed so pitiful. She scrutinized him, before slapping the book she had been writing in closed.
"Come here first thing midday tomorrow I'll let you know my decision about instating you as an adventurer." She stood not waiting for him to respond as she walked from the hall.
There was a lot to consider and even more to look into. The way the young Asher carried himself, the way he talks, his hair. But most importantly his teeth, she'd never met a peasant with such pearly white teeth.
For them to be in such good condition would require great care, and great care requires money. While it was far from clear just who he was, she knew he wasn't just some wayward swordsman.
There was a very real possibility he was a fugitive noble from the north. She turned watching him leave her eyes flicking to his bare feet.
Or perhaps not.