Daniel and Elizabeth exited the King's Castle, the grand doors closing behind them as they stepped into the bustling streets of Luthadel. The sun was setting, casting a warm orange glow over the cobblestone streets and stone buildings. Daniel glanced down at Elizabeth, who was practically bouncing on her feet, excitement radiating from her.
"That was amazing, Danny!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm. She waved her hands dramatically as she began to recount the battle. "There was this huge BOOM when Blastoise blasted the goblins, and then Haxorus went SLASH with his claws, and Sirfetch'd… Oh, he just BAM, knocked down that big goblin! It was like, WHOOSH, and then all the goblins were running away!"
Daniel chuckled, watching her reenact the battle with wide arm movements and sound effects. "You saw all that, huh?" he asked, amused by the way she vividly described the fight.
"Of course!" she said, her eyes bright with excitement. "The guards let me watch from the walls. I knew you'd beat those goblins!" She spoke with such confidence, and Daniel couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
The King had informed Daniel after the battle that he planned to visit the Pokémon forest in a week's time. He also said that he would permit his people to bond with Pokémon if they desired. It was a decision that carried a lot of weight, and Daniel knew that the King's visit could have quite the impact. For now, though, he was content to enjoy this moment with Elizabeth.
As they walked, they passed a large building with a wooden sign hanging above the entrance that read "Adventurers Guild." The emblem on the sign depicted a sword crossed with a staff over a shield, and a steady flow of people seemed to be coming in and out of the building. Elizabeth's eyes widened when she saw the sign, and she tugged on Daniel's sleeve with both hands.
"Danny, can we go inside?" she asked eagerly, practically bouncing up and down. "Please? I've heard all about the Adventurers Guild! They're supposed to be really strong, and they do quests for people all over the Kingdom! They even hunt monsters and protect others."
Daniel raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the excitement in her voice. "Adventurers, huh? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a look." He was curious to learn more about this guild and the people who belonged to it. Given the wide variety of skills and personalities he had encountered since coming to this world, it could be interesting to see what the adventurers were like.
As they entered the guild, Daniel immediately noticed the atmosphere shift. The large hall was filled with a variety of people—some in matching armor, indicating they were part of a group, and others who were cloaked and hooded, keeping their identities obscured. The walls were lined with wooden boards covered in parchment notices, each one displaying different quests, missions, or requests for help. The place buzzed with conversation and activity, but as Daniel and Elizabeth walked further in, they noticed many eyes on them from all over the room.
It was clear that their entrance had not gone unnoticed. Many adventurers were now casting curious glances their way. Some stared at them with surprise or respect, having already heard whispers about the battle against the goblin horde. Others eyed Daniel challengingly, as if weighing his worth, while a few looked on with caution or even fear. Elizabeth's earlier enthusiasm began to waver, and she shifted closer to Daniel, her previous excitement giving way to nervousness.
Ignoring the stares as best he could, Daniel guided Elizabeth over to the receptionist's desk. Behind the desk was a young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair and a warm smile. She looked up as they approached, her eyes lighting up in recognition.
"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild," the receptionist said kindly, though there was a hint of awe in her voice. "You must be Daniel, the one who fought off the goblin horde with those incredible creatures."
Daniel nodded, realizing that news had traveled fast. "It seems word gets around quickly," he remarked.
The receptionist chuckled softly. "Indeed, it does. Your actions have stirred quite the buzz among the adventurers here." She paused, her expression becoming more businesslike. "Are you here to issue a quest, or perhaps… to join the Adventurers Guild?"
Before Daniel could respond, Elizabeth suddenly burst with energy, her earlier nervousness forgotten. "I want to join! I want to be an adventurer and beat up bad guys with Squirtle!" She waved her arms excitedly peering over the desk, her eyes sparkling with determination.
The receptionist laughed at the little girl's enthusiasm. "I'm afraid there's an age limit," she explained gently. "You have to be at least sixteen years old to become a registered adventurer. But that's a great goal to have when you're older."
Elizabeth's face fell slightly in disappointment, but she quickly recovered. "But you haven't even met Squirtle yet!" she said, suddenly remembering her Pokémon. She reached down and pulled out a Pokéball from the small pouch at her waist, the one Daniel had given her. Before he could stop her, she pressed the button and released Squirtle into the room.
With a joyful cry, Squirtle popped out of the Pokéball, landing at Elizabeth's feet. The small Water-type looked around with bright, curious eyes, its tail wagging as it surveyed the bustling room.
The sudden appearance of the creature stunned many. No one recognized it but after a moment of consideration they realized that this might be another one of the creatures that Daniel had used to fight off the goblins. Many different people had their eyes locked onto squirtle, their gazes containing surprise, awe, and even greed.
Seeing this, Daniel hurriedly instructed Elizabeth to put Squirtle away for now. She pouted, puffing out her bottom lip to showcase to Daniel that she didn't want to, but listened nonetheless. "Was that... Squirtle?" The receptionist asked.
By now, almost the entire room was listening to the conversation, even if they tried to act like they weren't. "Yeap, I met him in Daniel's forest. We're going to train to be super strong." Elizabeth answered, her pout completely forgotten at the chance to brag about her and Squirtle.
Putting a hand on her head Daniel spoke up, addressing the receptionist. "On that train of thought, I was wondering if I could issue a quest related to these Pokémon?" Getting out of here surprised stupor and resuming her previous professional appearance, the receptionist nodded. "Of course, as long as the rewards are sufficient, you can issue whatever task is needed."
Handing him a paper, the receptionist continued, "Please fill out the request in detail in the corresponding places upon the paper." Nodded gratefully to the receptionist and started filling out the quest sheet.
In the description of the task, he requested that adventures come to the forest of Nahir to bond with a Pokémon. He then described what a Pokémon was and that if they have further questions that the residence of Nahir could guide help them. If they managed to successfully bond with one, they could then visit him in his home withij the forest. The receptionist was very helpful in obtaining the approximate coordinates to his home within the forest so that any adventures who took on the task could easily find him.
For the reward, he listed out one Pokéball, and a health potion. Seeing Daniel write down a health potion, the receptionist gasped. "Are you sure about this? Potions are extremely rare. What kind of potions are they, and what are these Pokéballs?" Daniel, unaware that they had their own versions of potions in this world, explained.
"The potions are items that I make myself. They are able to heal injuries if they're not too severe. They're especially useful on Pokémon but can be used on people as well." As for Pokéballs..."
After hearing Daniel's explanation of the items he was offering as a reward, not only the receptionist, but also the adventurers listening in could help but take in a sharp intake of breath. These items, they were just too powerful. Let alone obtain a potential fighting companion who could make their jobs a lot easier if they were anything like the creatures that took on the goblins, these items alone would be tempting even if they had to fight ten armed men bare handed to get them.
After going over the paper and making sure everything was in order, the receptionist smiled awkwardly at Daniel's nonchalance and moved to post the paper on the quest board.
Soon a large group of adventurers were crowded around the board, eager to see its contents in detail.