I was in the middle of a busy street, so it was no surprise that many different people were there. Just one person in particular fascinated me.
It was a young woman, about my age or older, but she had a core of mint. In other words, she was a sixth-rank magician. Not only was she strong, but her looks attracted my attention.
I'd seen plenty of beautiful people, both men and women, but she induced a feeling like nobody else. I was intrigued, but as the crowd of people whisked her away. I pushed her to the back of my mind.
I had a mission, and I was unlikely to see her again. On the rest of my walk, thoughts of her kept creeping up no matter how hard I tried. Only once I reached the guild did I regain focus on the task at hand.
I left Arion to wander around as I entered the guild building. To my surprise, I saw Jasper standing before the job board. As the only person I had even an inkling of knowledge about, I went up to him.
"Hey, that you Jasper?" I said as I walked up to him.
Jasper turned his head and smiled. "Alex, good to see you again. It's been a while. Where've you been?"
"Just out of town for a bit. What's going on with you?"
"Ahh, just the usual. There are a couple of quests and jobs here and there." We indulged in some small talk about how we were. Jasper was quite the busy fellow. He was not only part of a big group, but he also volunteered in many places.
Even in his free time, Jasper took up quests at the guild like he was now. It is awe-inspiring and commendable. I don't think I could balance that much even if I tried.
"So, thinking of doing anything right now?" I asked Jasper.
"Nah, most of the jobs aren't for me." He responded. Looking at the board, it did seem like today was a slow day for the guild.
"How about helping me with something then?"
"What?" Jasper was intrigued.
"I need to recruit some people." I told him the truth.
"For what if you don't mind me asking? It'll be important for the advertisement you put up."
"I'm thinking of starting a group."
"Ohh, joining one too good for you?"
"I prefer to have more freedom. I'm doing this for fun anyway. If it doesn't work out, no biggy, if it does, I get something useful out of it."
"Well, you can count on me! Not to brag, but I founded the Gold Scrap group to where it is today."
"Well, then, I'll be in your debt." I shook Jasper's open hand, and he brought me to the reception desk.
"A good way to advertise is through the guild. You can put up a job request, and any applicants can take it. Many groups use this method when getting started. I can set it up for you."
"Thank you, Jasper." Taking a sheet from the desk, Jasper started writing some stuff down.
"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the sheet.
"This is the request sheet. Any time you request something, fill out this form and give it to the receptionist. Its primary use is filling jobs and quests, but you can also use it for this.
I filled out the fundamental part here. Fill out the rest and give it to Cher over there."
I took the sheet from Jasper and filled it out. Applicants would come to headquarters, where Oshan would test them. If we managed to get some recruits, I'd personally train them.
After finishing up, I had time to spare, so I joined Jasper. He was free anyway, so I just joined up. We found nothing new when we rechecked the board, so Jasper took me to his other job.
"Aside from adventuring and managing the Gold Scrap group, I actually volunteer at the orphanage. In an outer town like this one, there is always danger, so the church created this orphanage as a refuge."
I was interested, so I followed. The orphanage wasn't big, but it wasn't poor either. It stood just outside the slums, between uptown and downtown. It wasn't a far walk, so we got there pretty fast.
It was a lonely area, not far from the slums. Just down the street, you could see some druggies wandering around. It was not the best spot for an orphanage. I got off Arion at the gates. Despite its location, the orphanage itself was huge.
A grand two-story house stood in the middle, surrounded by a courtyard and fences. The total area was around an acre. As we arrived outside the gate, I noticed how rundown it was.
With such a prominent place, upkeep would only be possible with many workers. The gate was rusted and creaky. I barely made out the name Utgarn Orphanage, after the mountain god Utgard.
Jasper had a key to the gate, so we went through quickly. I left Arion and Grey to check out the courtyard and called back Vesper and Rex to patrol the skies. I'd read too many stories not to know how dangerous rundown orphanages were, especially ones of the church.
'Kids and priests aren't the best combo.'
Jasper and I walked into the eerily silent house. The inside was tidy, but you could see some places that had only been accessed long ago. I sat down on a couch in the middle of the lounge as Jasper went to grab the head nun.
It wasn't long before he returned. The nun was a middle-aged woman, barely in her forties, I'd wager. She had a kind and aged face, carrying herself with dignity and care.
"Hello, Mr. Bell. Thank you for taking an interest in our orphanage. Jasper here has told me a lot about you."
I rose from my seat to shake her hand.
"It's no problem, miss. I live nearby and just thought I'd check out the area. I didn't catch your name?"
"You can call me miss Shaw."
"Thank you, miss Shaw. I was just wondering, is it normally this quiet?"
"The kids are all in for their afternoon nap, so right now, it's quiet. I assure you, when these kids are up, it's like a madhouse." She smiled.
"Oh, I don't doubt it. What's the age range your kids here? It must be low if they still have an afternoon nap."
"We have kids less than a year old, to one almost 16 now. We mostly have small children, but around 20 are above the age of ten. It's lesson time for them right now. Our oldest will actually be going into the working world next month."
"That's wonderful. I just wanted to check this place out and see if there was anything I could do. We're neighbors, so we might as well help each other." I could confirm what she said using my magic sense, and this place seemed nice.
She and Jasper sat down around the lounge. Jasper sat beside me on the couch, and Miss Shaw sat across the coffee table in a rocking chair.
Jasper was the one to speak next. "I come here to help take care of the kids. Even some of the members of my group come from here. It very rewarding to see these kids grow up and join society."
"Jasper's too nice, it's only been due to the Gold Scrap group's support that we have been able to keep going for so long. The church sends money, but it not nearly enough for the 200 kids living here." Miss Shaw added.
I was starting to get the picture now. This seemed like a genuinely lovely place, and I half wanted to take it under my wing, but I knew neither Greyhound nor the Greyhound mercenary group had enough power for that.
"Well, I'll be around here quite often, so if you ever need help, you can always count on the Greyhound mercenary group. Our headquarters are located just a bit down in the slums."
"Thank you for offering. I—" Miss Shaw looked a bit hesitant to speak.
"If you have any problems, we can help you." added Jasper reassuringly.
"I don't want to trouble you, and this is the first time we've met and everything, but we have been experiencing some troubles."
"I'd be happy to help out with whatever." This felt like a critical quest line in a game, so I naturally obliged.
"Ever since the other gangs have been leaving this area, a power vacuum has appeared. It started around a year ago with the disappearance of the Scarlet Slavers gang, and ever since, more and more have been going missing."
I felt my brain tingle as if I knew something about this.
"Recently, someone has taken control of the power vacuum and has been going around terrorizing the people. A member even came to our orphanage to get us to pay a levy. They only went away after I mentioned the Gold Scrap group was protecting this orphanage.
I'm worried they might come back or hurt the kids." Explained Miss Shaw.
It was the classic case of bad guys taking over I'd read about so many times. The heroic novels of the Aeulus Empire contained this trope many times, so I knew exactly what to do.
"Don't worry, miss. If it's security you're worried about, I happen to be exceptionally proficient in barriers. I can put up array formations around the whole property right now." I was confident in my ability to solve this problem quickly.
"I couldn't impose on too much of your time, Mr. Bell. You don't need to do that much." Miss Shaw looked a bit agitated.
"No need to worry. It'll only take me a couple of seconds. I can do it on my way out. My parents would be disappointed if I didn't take the time to help such an extraordinary institution as this one." I reached across and took Miss Shaw's hand to reassure her.
It was then I heard the footsteps of a child. I looked up at the second story and saw a little girl leaning on the railing.
Following my gaze, Miss Shaw also saw the child.
"Carrie! Don't lean like that. It's dangerous!" said Miss Grimshaw in a hushed tone.
The girl squatted down as Miss Shaw moved over to the stairs. "I couldn't sleep." She said in a tired voice. She leaned back against the railings, and I saw it a split second too late. The wood railing was cracked and weak. Against even the weight of the small child, it snapped.
The girl was falling before I knew it. I quickly mobilized my magic to stop her fall and moved under her.
'I'm not Spider-man.'
The girl fell slowly into my arms without so much as a cry. It all happened so fast that Miss Shaw didn't have time to process everything when I caught the girl.
She immediately ran over and started apologizing.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Mr. Bell. I should have been more careful and paid attention to the house's condition. Thank you so much for catching Carrie. I don't know what I would have done."
I cut her off as Jasper ran over to our side.
"It's nothing, Miss Shaw. Anybody else would have done the same. Carrie reminds me of my sisters, so it'd be remiss of me not to help her." I put the girl down as she hurried over to Miss Shaw's side.
"Even if I weren't here, I'm sure Jasper would have caught her." I also saw Jasper moving, but I was faster, so I caught Carrie first.
"Not sure if I could have done it as gracefully as you," whispered Jasper. I nudged him in the side to shut up.
"Now Miss Shaw, I have to get going now, but before I go, could you tell me the name of the gang that took over the power vacuum?"
"Oh yes, I think they were called the Cult of Menos. I can't exactly remember."