With a quick assessment of himself, Silver discovered that he could dismiss and resummon the spider armor at will, a feature he had never tested before, having never had a reason to do so. His body carried the scent of lavender, a common fragrance in this region, as most soaps were made with it, using animal fat as their base.
Taking a small knife from the bathroom shelf, he attempted to trim his hair, cutting it unevenly but as short as he could manage. Despite its haphazardness, he felt rejuvenated, donning the spider armor and feeling like a new man. "Boy," he corrected himself internally.
Emerging from the room, Silver was met with slow applause from the large man, starting to wonder about where his old clothes were. "You actually look human now, rather than a barbarian from the hills. I had to toss those smelly rags, so put these new ones on. They should be a bit big for you." A bundle of new clothes, black and yellow in color, reminiscent of a track suit with ropes instead of elastic around its waist, was tossed his way.
With a wry smile, Silver thanked Kong and donned the new attire over his bodysuit. The darker colors of the clothes made the bodysuit blend in more seamlessly. Though the legs of the pants were flared out reminding him of Aladin.
"Now, let me fix that mess you made," Kong declared, drawing a dagger from his waist, causing Silver to sweat nervously.
Ten minutes later, Silver's hair was less unkempt, cut short and neat, the way he preferred it. He longed to see his reflection in a mirror but settled for glimpses in the knife before Kong stowed it away.
"Good, now you don't look like you're from the slums. They might overlook your background, giving me a bonus on merits in the guild. Most of the kids I see are half-starved, but you don't look like one of them," Kong remarked with satisfaction.
"I think I look even better than the gorilla that dressed me up," Silver retorted playfully.
"What? How did you know my nickname?" Kong blinked in confusion.
"Gorilla?"
"Yes, most people I work with call me Gorilla Kong."
They exchanged puzzled glances before Silver clarified, "It's because you have tree trunks for arms, like a gorilla."
Kong shook his head slowly, misunderstanding Silver's intent. "I can't believe you encountered a King-level beast and survived to tell the tale. You must have had a tragic life before coming here."
Suppressing a joke he couldn't share due to the language barrier, Silver shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. They chatted for a few more minutes before leaving for the enforcers. He couldn't help but feel a bit excited as they walked down the cobblestone.
With his new appearance, people didn't give Silver a second glance as he hooked his thumbs into their belt, giving off a relaxed demenor that more fit in with the crowd rather than looking around like a tourist or outsider.
The exterior of the enforcer's building appeared unassuming among the other buildings that lined the street. Its facade was simple, with weathered wooden walls that showed signs of age and wear. There were no elaborate decorations or grandiose features to draw attention. Instead, the building blended in, its unassuming appearance belying the bustling activity that took place within.
A modest sign above the entrance simply read "Enforcers' Branch," its letters faded from years of exposure to the elements. There were no flashy banners or colorful displays to announce the presence of the guild hall. It was easy to pass by without giving it a second glance.
Two men were outside giving Kong a nod before going back to smoking rolled up cigarettes that smelled of herbs that Silver couldn't identify, but he felt slightly invigorated by their aroma making him want to ask questions suppressing them.
As they walked in the quiet of the streets outside were a stark contrast to the sounds he heard inside wondering how they isolated the sound to not leak to the outside.
"This is the enforcer's branch in this area. There are four such branches controlled by our guild in our territory. Once your training is done, you'll be able to pick any of them," Kong explained proudly.
Silver looked around awkwardly, finding the surroundings reminiscent of the video games he used to play when he was younger.
The enforcer's branch stood sturdy, its walls adorned with torches that cast flickering shadows across the wooden interior. The air was thick with the scent of ale and sweat, a familiar blend reminiscent of hole in the wall bars that greeted them. As Silver looked around, the sounds of boisterous laughter and clinking tankards enveloped him.
To his left, a long wooden bar stretched across the room, manned by a burly bartender pouring drinks with practiced ease. Tankards clattered as patrons raised them in toast, their voices rising in camaraderie.
On the right side of the hall, a large notice board loomed, its surface covered with parchment notices detailing quests and bounties. Enforcers gathered around it, their eyes scanning the postings for lucrative opportunities or some of the easy tasks that could get them a quick bit of coin.
In the corner, a group of Enforcers lounged at a table, their worn armor gleaming in the dim light. They exchanged stories of their exploits, their voices low and gruff, while sharpening their weapons in preparation for the next mission.
Their tales seemed boisterous, like it was a bragging competition, each exploit seeing larger than the next one of them finally saying that he had taken one of the other's mothers out to fight a beast and it turned to stone from just looking at her face. Both of them started a small fight that ended up in one of them with a bloody nose before they laughed it off.
At the far end of the hall, dart boards adorned the walls, their surfaces scarred from countless throws. Enthusiastic shouts erupted as players aimed for the bullseye, their competitive spirits driving them to improve their aim.
In another corner, a makeshift arena had been set up for arm wrestling matches. Muscular men without shirts flexed their biceps as they squared off, the crowd cheering them on with fervor. Coins exchanging hands each time an arm hit the table with their low effort gambling, sneers and quips being thrown at the loser.
"This… is the enforcer's branch…?" Silver seemed unsure of himself at this moment, expecting them to be more like a police force than a group of rowdy bounty hunters. There were a few scattered women around but it mostly consisted of men, and smelled of sweat, he wondered what he even took a bath for.
Kong nodded happily, seeming to be proud, "Now to make them think you're from a family that was invited to the branch we need to come up with a good family name. There was a family that no longer lives near here that I think is suitable. The Stalwart family."
He seemed to roll the name around on his tongue for a moment before nodding, "Silver Stalwart, seems a fitting name for a child from a good family right?"
Silver's eyes narrowed, not enjoying the naming sense of his parents or Kong in this world, shaking his head before coming up with his own last name not wanting someone from the Stalwart family to expose him later. "Cauter… Silver Cauter."
He just used his last name from his previous life, not wanting to have to memorize another name or fail to remember it if someone asked for it.
"Cauter? Never heard of a family by that name, but it should work."
Kong nearly dragged the boy up to the counter, grabbing at one of the ales that the burly man in front of him had poured seeing him walking up. "Kenny my boy, I have a recruit I'd like to introduce. Not even eight yet went through his first tempering."
Kenny over the counter to get a good look at Silver, his eyes going up and down his body as he frowned a bit, "Looks spoiled, pale as a ghost, probably hasn't seen the sun in days. You sure he's a good fit?"
"He's already taken down someone messing with blood. Stabbed him thirty times in the chest from the report."
"Eleven" Silver corrected out of caution, he remembered each stab vividly even though he felt like a blur.
Kong rolled his eyes a bit, with a grunt, "Needs to learn how to boast or he'll never get extra coin from your tight fist, but still I can vouch for his ruthlessness."
Ignoring him, Kenny still looked down at Silver, noticing his lack of reaction from them talking about killing someone he nodded in approval, "Name?"
"Silver Cauter."
"Looks like this one is a real one, your naming scheme is trash. Tried to pass off that scrawny one a month ago with a name like Frenkles, why do you always have to come up with a name that has the same initials?" Kenny groaned, "You know how embarrassed the kid was being introduced as Frank Frenkles?"
Kong's face heated up out of embarrassment, before muttering to himself, "You're the one who named me Kong saying my original name was too weak sounding."
Silver looked to Kong in bemusement before turning his attention back to the other man, "I was told this place is fairly lucrative, and I'd be able to get training here that I wouldn't be able to in other places. Please tell me that Kong wasn't playing me."
Kenny pulled out of view the counter covering him up from his point of view, not able to see over it before he heard the man speak, "He's right there, we mostly hunt things so you'll be receiving training that a hunter would be envious of."
A small slab of wood was shoved into Silver's hands, with paper and an ink pen showing a contract, looking it over he signed it quickly.
There was a two year training period for people that came in under ten, providing the necessities to live a comfortable life before he could make a living doing odd jobs. Getting out of the training he could prove himself to be one of three ranks that were just numbered tiers, nothing fancy like he was expecting.
Pushing the paper and wood up onto the counter, Kenny looked at the weird squiggly letters with a grunt, thinking of the kid as a fallen noble now, "Welcome to the enforcers, Ginny will take you to your quarters. Once we have two more we'll start the training so take this as a waiting period before your contract starts."