Matt's body felt heavy and sluggish as he moved himself slowly into the small kitchenette area of the suite room at the Blue Hedgehog tavern. Daylight poured in through the open windows and he could hear the sound of birds chirping just outside. His muscles felt sore as he reached into the cabinets and found that there were at least a few cups and plates inside. He desperately wished that coffee was a thing in this world as he grabbed two of the cups and placed them down on the counter. It took him a few minutes longer than it should have but Matt was able to summon a thermos that felt hot in his hand. Matt was overjoyed when he opened the thermos and the heavenly aroma met his nostrils and he almost felt like crying. He'd thank whatever God or higher power that was out there for this wondrous gift, after he had enjoyed his first cup of morning joe. He carefully poured the hot contents of the thermos out into both the cups before he brought one up to his lips and took a large gulp of the liquid inside.
"Fuuuuuuck yes. Now that's what the doctor ordered" Matt smiled as he drank the hot black coffee.
He still wasn't sure what the limitations of his bracers were and what he could and couldn't summon, however he felt like he had just hit gold as he continued to drink the cup till it was empty before refilling it again. To Matt, coffee was the single greatest creation mankind had ever made. He was addicted to it and if he could, he'd drink nothing but coffee both day and night. It also didn't matter what form the coffee came in, though he preferred it black, he'd drink it no matter what. But Matt restrained himself from drinking the other cup he had set on the counter and stood looking down into the liquid's dark depths as if it was calling him to drink it all right then and there. Luckily enough for him, a distraction came in the form of a slender hand on his back and a pair of soft lips pressed to his bare skin. Matt smiled and turned around to see Akira looking up at him with a warm smile on her lips. She was wearing a thin white dress that didn't do much to hide her body from him but she didn't seem to mind as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.
"Well good morning to you too honey" Matt chuckled as he put his own arms around her and held her in his embrace.
She didn't say anything but smiled even bigger as she buried her face into his bare chest. All he could do was smile back as he gently kissed the top of her head. Last night the two of them had gotten… very close with one another. Matt didn't exactly remember all of it but he blamed that in part due to the separate bottles of wine and ale Thomas had sent up to their room with their dinners. Most of the food still sat on the plates uneaten on the table but both bottles hadn't even survived the hour. Neither of them really had any idea when they had fallen asleep, but Matt had woken up before her and did his best to carefully move her off of him before he went on his search for coffee.
"Is that… coffee I smell?" Akira said into his chest
"It is," Matt replied, happy to have some confirmation that this world had his favorite beverage as well "Would you like some?"
Akira nodded and Matt turned to hand her the hot cup of joe. She took the cup in her hands and reluctantly stepped back from Matt's embrace as she took a sip. Her eyes then went wide and her ears stood up as she looked down into the cup.
"W-Wow, that's the best cup of coffee I think I've ever had. Where did you get this?"
Matt was both elated and slightly saddened by her remark. He was glad that she too seemed to enjoy her coffee but her comment made him believe that his slightly below average tasting cup was somehow the best this world ever had. Matt knew nothing of coffee bean growing but he swore he'd bring a better tasting brew to this world if it was the last thing he did.
"I just had it in my bracers" he answered her.
"Mmmm maybe it's just because you gave it to me then is the reason it tastes so good." she smiled and winked at him as she began to turn away towards the couch.
Matt rolled his eyes at her flirtiness but followed her over to the sofa and sat beside her. She instantly leaned into him as she held onto the cup of coffee and gently sipped away at it much slower than Matt had done with his second cup.
"We should get you to the adventuring guild here in town today. I don't know what trouble last night's skirmish might bring us so we might as well get you at least registered as an adventurer in case we need to leave town" Akira said between sips.
"You think we could actually get in trouble? Thomas said that everything should be alright." replied Matt
"Yes well, to be honest I don't have the greatest reputation with the guards of this city and no doubt word has probably already spread like wildfire towards even Venindale about our…union. They might try and make an example out of you to get to me if they feel so vindictive."
"The hell did you do?"
"Shhhhh, somethings are better left in the past my dear" Akira whispered as she playfully put a finger on Matt's lips.
"I knew you were trouble," Matt replied.
Both he and Akira laughed a bit at that before she snuggled closer into his side.
"Matters not though. If they touch a single hair on your head I'll just rip their throats out and feed it to them via their own asses"
"Why do I get the feeling that you might actually do that?" Matt laughed
"Oh darling, I'm sure you know plenty of creative ways to kill someone as well" she giggled.
"Touché" he replied and took the final sip of his beloved coffee "So why is it such a big deal that I become an adventurer anyways? Not saying I'm opposed to it at all, just…wondering"
"Because becoming an adventurer is the best way for you to be able to not only better explore the world, but it also has some perks that will ultimately just help you become stronger in the long run." Akira explained
"So are you an adventurer then?" Matt asked
"Mhmm, though I've taken a small break from my adventuring days since becoming a Matriarch. Come to think of it I may have to renew my adventurers license soon"
"Oh so it's license"
"Yes, though I think it's best you hear the whole explanation of the system from the Adventurers Guild themselves. You'll be assigned a Guild Advisor when you register with the guild and they'll explain to you more the benefits and such that come with being a registered adventurer."
"Any drawbacks I should know about?" Matt asked
"Mmmm maybe just the fact that even though the adventuring guilds are all one collective entity falling under the same leadership, most guilds tend to lean more politically towards the local rulers laws and such. So rules may vary slightly from guildhall to guildhall."
"Hm, alright. Good to know I guess" Matt sighed as he stood up from the sofa "Let's get ready then and head out."
A short time later Matt and Akira were walking side by side down the busy streets of Fallvien towards the inner parts of the city protected by the large walls that surrounded it. The cobblestone roads were filled with all sorts of beings that Matt had only ever seen in pictures or games. He saw everything from the massive hulking form of what looked like a Minotaur to quite a few bipedal corgis walking around as well. Akira told him they were a race called Fey Corgis and they were quite common all across Harvest.
The city itself reminded Matt of those European cities that had a strange mix of ancient stone building architecture with modern technology mixed in together. Though most of the aspects that reminded Matt of some form of moderness to his world were replaced by magic instead. Neon signs were replaced by glowing floating letters in store windows written in strange symbols that Matt somehow understood. The fluorescent bulbs inside the shops and homes or even in the streetlights above were replaced by similar glowing runes that Matt had seen back in the tavern or by glowing stones or floating orbs of light. Matt even saw a carriage moving down the street on its own with no beast of burden pulling it along. Instead its wheels glowed in a somewhat eerie blue and the driver used a pair of handlebars connected to the front tires somewhere under the karts chassis to steer. Matt couldn't help but allow himself a small smile as he felt some comfort in knowing this world wasn't necessarily going to feel like stepping back into the stone age for him.
Matt's hand grazed over his front left pocket and felt the slim rectangular shape gently protruding from his camouflage pants. He wasn't sure if it had been there the whole time but earlier that morning, before they'd left the Blue Hedgehog, Matt had realized that his cellphone was still in his pocket. He had immediately checked it for any sort of notifications he might have missed while Akira was in the bathroom. There were none though and when Matt tried to send a message to anyone of the contacts he had in his phone, the message instantly came back as undelivered. He had tried to even make a phone call but he strangely got that same electronic noise the radio had made without any dial tone. According to the screen, he had a full 5G connection to his phone and to his astonishment, he somehow had a connection to the internet and was able to look up a popular news network from back home. The news had been updated since the day before when he had arrived to this world and none of the other websites he quickly went to had been updated either. The phone had only seventy three percent battery left and Matt didn't have the time to check to see if he had some sort of solar paneled charger or something like that. He had just managed to turn the phone off and slip it into his pocket just as Akira excited the bathroom. He did eventually plan on telling her about the device though, but didn't want to sidetrack their prior plans too much and felt like she'd want to spend a considerate amount of time examining the other worldly object.
For the time being, he kept his phone hidden away in his pocket and resisted the urge to take it out and use it to take pictures like some fucking tourist on a vacation. Matt also found that beside his phone, he also had his wallet in his back pocket with both his civilian and service I.D. cards, a few [plastic credit cards he now was sure he'd never be able to use again or pay off, and exactly two hundred dollars in the form of two individual hundred dollar bills. He figured that the paper currency was also useless here in this world and thought that the only things in his wallet that might have been somewhat useful would have his I.D. cards. Matt also had a pair of keys in his pocket to his brand new 2024 Ford King Ranch F-250 that he was sure he'd never get to drive again as well as his house key. He mourned those losses probably the most. He had had a pretty nice house back home that he'd bought when the market was low and had soaked A LOT of time and money into. The truck was brand new and barely had gotten its clean tires dirty on the way home before Matt ended up in this world.
Matt had sighed as he had no choice but to accept the losses. Perhaps in this world he could use the money he got from adventuring to buy himself a new home and one of those fancy self moving carts as well. One thing he was still trying to get his head around though was the last app Matt had opened on his phone before he had hid it away. It had been the app for his bank that he checked purely out of habit that he'd done just to check his balance. What bothered him though was the amount that was suddenly in his account and that it was no longer denoted with the symbol for the US dollar, but instead replaced with the letters GP. Matt had played enough games in his down time to what GP general stood for. It seems that his bank account now showed how much he had in gold pieces rather than paper bills. But it was still the amount that he had that left him a little bit staggered and made him question the exact worth of a gold coin in this world.
"Hey, what exactly could someone buy with say… a thousand gold pieces?" Matt asked Akira as they continued to walk down the sidewalk together.
"A thousand gold? Well it depends on what you're looking to purchase really. You could buy a number of potions or basic weapons with that amount or you could pay to stay at a tavern or inn for about a week's time. It'd also allow you to use a Gate for transportation at least twice. In the grand scheme of things it's not really all that much to be honest" Akira replied.
'So a thousand gold is probably similar to walking around with a few hundred bucks in your pocket then? Maybe on the higher end, closer to a thousand itself? Damn I just really don't know how much a potion or a magical transportation is in comparison.' Matt thought to himself.
"Alright, so then what's considered having a lot of gold here in this world? Like, what's considered being rich?" Matt asked
Akira took a moment to think, gently tapping her lip with her thin index finger before she replied "Well usually to be considered a Lord one must have a value of at least two hundred thousand gold pieces. A Matriarch such as myself usually is worth anywhere from around four to six hundred gold pieces. And Kings, Queens, and Rulers with a country's backing worth of gold usually sits closer to around a million gold pieces if not more."
Matt nodded as he felt a knot begin to form in his stomach and he began to feel a little ill. Akira must have noticed his reaction and looked at him worriedly, squeezing his arm a little as she had been holding on to it like a doting wife as they walked.
"What's wrong dear? I know you probably don't have any gold yet seeing as you just arrived in this world but I can pay for things for a bit until you get your feet under you again." Akira stated, sounding more and more worried about Matt's condition.
"I… don't think that's the problem." Matt replied in such a low voice that it was almost a whisper.
"What do you mean?" she asked him
Matt then took her hand in his and carefully began using his finger to draw out the number he had seen in his bank account onto her hand. He watched as her eyes began to grow wider and wider and as her mouth gaped open as an expression of pure disbelief covered her face.
"A-are you? Surely you're joking" She asked in a loud whisper after she'd stopped dead in her tracks and stared daggers into his eyes.
Matt had no less than five hundred MILLION gold pieces in his account. He had to confirm the number several times to Akira before she pulled her hands away from him and steepled them in front of her face.
"You can't tell anyone how much you have. With that amount you could practically own all of Harvest if you wanted too, if not more! People would kill you without a second thought for a chance at that kind of money, or worse. They may try to take you away from me and try to steal you for themselves!"
Matt felt a bit touched that her biggest concern was losing him rather than the extreme amount of wealth he figured out he had.
"Easy. It's not like I'm gonna go around flaunting it or anything. Plus, it's just how much I know I have but I don't know how to access any of it yet. I tried to use my bracer but I could only summon forth a single bag of a thousand gold pieces."
"You promise you won't leave me for some beautiful queen?" Akira asked, batting her eyes up at him.
"You're the only beautiful queen for me" Matt replied with a small chuckle.
"Good answer~" She cooed and made him bend over so she could kiss him "Right, well now that we have that situation under control, we still need to sign you up to be an adventurer. It has other benefits besides the pay that we'll need you to have too."
"Yes ma'am" Matt chuckled.
"You know, I was never one to care much for such a name, but coming from you…" Akira bit her lip a little before she turned and began to walk back down the sidewalk once more.
It was clear she wanted him to follow by the way she swung her hips a little more than usual with each step. Matt rolled his eyes but he knew he was hooked as he caught up after her.
The Fallvien Guild Hall was… smaller than Matt would have imagined it to be. He imagined that a city the size of Fallvien would have had a bigger establishment meant for the gathering of all the adventurers that might live in the area. The building itself was only a two story building like most of the other structures in the city and was painted in a slight off white color with a blue band around the bottom half of the building. There were no windows on the first floor but there were several large bay windows on the second floor. A sign hung on the wall next to a pair of massive wooden doors that read "The Fallvien Adventurer's Guild."
"Are you ready darling?" Akira asked, slightly leaning over in front of his view with a big smile on her face.
"I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be" Matt replied
Akira took that as enough of a confirmation from him and took his much larger and rougher hand in hers before she led him towards the front door. Matt, being a gentleman, grabbed the handle on the massive doors first and opened it for Akira to walk in ahead of him. She shot him another one of her killer smiles and the two walked inside one after the other.
Like the Blue Hedgehog, the Adventurer's Guild was much bigger on the inside then it looked on the outside. They entered into a main lobby that led directly to a line of counters that had a pair of staircases boarding either side. A small balcony led to another pair of double doors at the top of the stairs that had large panes of colorful stained glass inside each of the doors. Several beings dressed in all sorts of weird clothing ranging from armor to robes and sometimes barely anything at all milled about in the main lobby. A good portion of which seemed to be gathered over by a small bar area that was off to the right side of the room. Matt could see a few receptionists standing behind the counter and watched as they attended to their duties and helped out the adventurers with whatever they needed. Matt smiled as he took a look around and though he couldn't exactly explain why, he felt a bit more at home in a place like this.
Akira took a hold of his hand once more and began to lead him over to one of the counter areas that appeared to be unoccupied at the time. As they grew nearer though Matt saw that it was indeed occupied by someone, but they were leaning so far back in their seat that they almost looked to be fully reclined backwards. He couldn't see their face as it was covered by a large book but it was clear that the significantly smaller form of the being was fast asleep under it. The duo stood at the counter for a moment before Akira delicately cleared her throat just loud enough to hopefully be heard by the sleeping receptionist. When the being didn't appear to even stir from their slumber, Matt took a quick look around at the other receptionist behind the counter who were too busy to be of any help. Matt then looked to Akira who gave him a slightly nervous smile before she reached over the counter and began tapping on the desk before them.
"Psssssst, wake up!" Akira loudly whispered.
"Nnnnn fack off," the receptionist muttered
Their voice was hard and raspy but had a slight feminine tone to it. Matt watched as Akira took a quick look around as well before she leaned in over the counter and smacked the book away and onto the floor. Apparently, that had been enough to startle the sleeping receptionist awake as they shot upwards with a look of stunned surprise on their face. Matt felt equally as surprised though to see that the receptionist was of the same race as the first being he had ever met in this world. The fairly young looking female goblin sat upright blinking her eyes rapidly as if still trying to bring the world around her back into focus. Unlike the goblin Matt had slain the day before however, this one looked to be a bit more humanoid then the other of its kind. She still had long pointed green ears, but her skin looked to be smooth and almost flawless. There were bags under her large purple eyes and long eyelashes that moved rapidly with each blink. She also had makeup on that had begun to run a little at the corner of her eyes and Matt could see small freckles dotting both of her cheeks. Her hair was brown and was pulled back into a neatly braided ponytail on the back of her head. A headband with a purple flower on it helped to keep it out of her face. She wore what looked like the standard uniform for the rest of the guild receptionist but Matt couldn't help but notice that the top of her shirt had several buttons undone and her chest was practically spilling out of her own shirt a little. She was… adorable. Like that cute little monster girl that was put in almost every fantasy anime that was slightly over sexualized for nothing more than fanservice. The small goblin girl seemed to suddenly realize she had someone standing before her as she quickly sat up straight with a tinge of red to her green cheeks.
"W-Welcome to the Fallvien Adventurer's Guild! How may I be of service to you today?"
"Good morning Neves" Akira smiled and laughed a little at the startled goblin girl's behavior.
"O-Oh, Akira! It's so good to see you!" the goblin girl said, smiling big at Akira.
"It's good to see you as well, Neves. If you wouldn't mind, my husband here would like to register as an adventurer" Akira smiled back
News of Matt being Akira's new husband seemed to catch everyone off guard everywhere they went. Even the small goblin girl looked astonished and without words for a moment as her eyes stared hard at Akira for a moment before they slowly shifted and widened even more as she looked up at Matt. All he felt like he could do was simply give a small wave down at her as she stared at him in disbelief.
"W-Wait! Did you already submit the marriage forms or…?" Neves asked as she looked at Akira.
Akira smiled softly but gently shook her head. Neves face went bright red for a moment then suddenly lost all color as a look of horror crossed her face.
"But wait, that means…"
This time Akira nodded softly and the excitable young goblin girl fell back into her seat and stared off into space for a moment.
"Oh… okay then. This is gonna be one helluva day." She muttered then looked up at Matt again "I'm sorry sir, but what was your name?"
"I'm Matt. Matthew Winters" he replied and held out one of his giant hands to the goblin girl.
She looked at him for a moment then down at his offered hand with a look on her face like she had some indigestion before she sighed and seemed a little reluctant as she shook his hand.
"I hope you take no offense to this but, good luck Mr. Winters. You're gonna need it" Neves sighed as they shook.
"What do you mean-?"
"Let's just go ahead and get the paperwork started okay?" Akira said quickly butting in and cutting Matt off.
There was a moment of awkward silence before the Neves gave a small shrug and slid down out of her seat before disappearing into a backroom. Matt watched as the door slowly swung close behind the goblin girl before he looked down at Akira by his side. She was looking anywhere but up at him for once and was obviously attempting to avoid his gaze.
"Akira" Matt said in a low tone of voice "What's going on?"
"Hmm? Nothing is going on dear, why would you ask hmm?"
She was clearly being defensive and still not looking up at him. Matt let out a heavy sigh and reached out gently and grabbed her chin with his index finger and thumb and turned her head gently to make her look up at him. Her cheeks instantly turned pink and though she tried to not look into his eyes at first, she eventually found herself unable to look away from them once they finally met. Matt raised his eyebrow in a questioning look before Akira eventually caved.
"Well you see, the thing is… I may have had a few suitors over the years that I turned away by telling them that I wasn't and never would be interested in marriage. I've had Dukes, Lord's, Duchesses, and even a few Kings ask for my hand and I've turned them all away."
"And?" Matt asked
"And… some of them wouldn't take no for an answer and might still be pining for me?" She smiled awkwardly
"So what you're saying is that there's some pretty powerful people out there that wouldn't be too happy to suddenly find out that you and I are married?" Matt asked as he pieced it together a bit.
"Mhmmm, and… marriages like ours would be something that spreads like wildfire. Once it's reported through the guild to make it official, every one of those I've rejected would find out within the week. But that's why we need to make you an adventurer! Adventurers do not fall under the citizenship of any local rulers but instead of that of the Council that rules over Tytaura itself. It'd stop some of the lesser Lords and such from directly attempting to harm you since they know they couldn't try to get to me without massive political ramifications. You'd be under the protection of the guild and unless the local adventurers guild is bought out by the kings and queens of their countries they reside in then you can't be directly punished by them." Akira explained.
"So wait. Being a part of the guild makes it so that these scorned suitors of yours couldn't directly come after me to try and punish you?" Matt asked
Akira fervently nodded her head "Yes absolutely! That's why it's imperative that you sign the adventure registration papers before our marriage papers! That way your Adventurer I.D. gets processed first and you'll be at least protected by the guild from any of the lesser lords and such."
"Jesus, How many people did you turn down?" Matt asked suddenly, feeling a bit worried.
"Enough" Akira replied finally looking away from him
Matt let out a heavy sigh and braced himself on the counter as he gave this new information some thought. He guessed it made sense. From the sound of it, once Matt became a registered Adventurer with the guild, it would be up to the guild to punish him if he did anything that would be against the local rulers laws and such. This would make it so that the guild could still punish lawbreakers who tried to jump the borders to neighboring kingdoms since the Adventuring Guild seemed to run on the same network across the world. On the same hand the guild would also protect adventurers in their network from local rulers who might try to abuse their powers or harm the new husband of the woman they still had feelings for.
"Shit balls" Matt muttered under his breath.
"But… if you think it's too much for you to handle then… we could always go our separate ways"
Matt looked at Akira in shock. Her ears were laid down flat and her tails drooped behind her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears as she was thinking of a world without him. They'd only known each other for a day, a fucking day. It was insanity for anyone to fall that deeply in love with someone they'd just met but there she was. She'd fallen head over heels for him so hard in such a short amount of time that the thought of a world without him in it by her side nearly broke her. It hadn't even been a full twenty four hours since they'd first met in that farmer's wheat field out in the middle of nowhere. At one point she'd even tried to actively avoid finding him there, thinking she could choose her own fate and remain single and free just like her mentors before her had. But fate clearly had other plans, and from the first moment she'd laid eyes on him she knew. She knew she wanted nothing more in her life, then for him to be hers and her to be his. Now she was asking way too much of him. Of course those she'd turn away in the past would try to come after him even if he had the protection from the guild. She knew that and she was sure that he probably already knew that as well. She was asking too much of him to stay there by her side through the troubles to come. He'd be better off on his own, no matter how much it hurt her. No matter how badly it-
Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by Matt suddenly grabbing her by her shoulders and planting a solid firm kiss on her lips right there in the middle of the guild hall for all to see. To Matt, he had already made up his mind the night before. He'd be hers forever and always no matter what. He didn't care how cliche it was that they'd only just met and were suddenly so deeply in love. He didn't care that people would try to hunt him down because of their love. Hey, that was just another new edge for him to chase after, but he'd made his choice. And he wasn't going anywhere without her.
"Ahem. Would you two mind not sucking face in front of my counter?"
Neves had returned at some point and though the kiss hadn't exactly been a long one, it must have been long enough to make the small goblin girl uncomfortable. The two broke the kiss almost immediately and they both laughed nervously as Neves let out a heavy sigh.
"Anyways, here's your adventurer's form. I need you to sign your name on any red lines you see in the document. Are you familiar with the ranking system and benefits of the guild?" Neves asked as she pushed a pile of neatly stacked papers towards Matt.
"No, I'm afraid I don't" Matt replied as he began quickly skimming over the documents.
"Of course. Well to start, the ranking system goes from wood rank all the way up to Mithral. In order from lowest to highest you have Wood, Bronze, Iron, Steel, Silver, Gold, Mithral, Adamantine, Siccatite, and then finally Mithral. Wood and Bronze ranks are normally reserved for beginner adventurers such as yourself. Iron and Steel are two the most common ranks of most adventurers and Silver through Gold ranks are rare but not impossible to obtain. Gold is the highest rank you can reach here at this guild but if you want to reach for Mithral then you have to go to the Adventuring Guild HQ in Deryium and be approved by the Council first. Mithral rank is normally reserved for either Guild Masters or those lucky enough to retire and are extremely rare.
We at the Adventuring Guild understand that not everyone starts their journey at the same point and time in their lives as others. We try to limit the waist in any natural born or gathered talent any one individual might have so we always like to run a rank identification test to better place you in the appropriate standing. Before we get that far though, I'd like to make you aware of how the Guild Quest system works as well.
Quests are basically missions handed out by the guild to adventurers. These missions usually come from whether the guild itself or by those who pay the minimum fee to make a quest. Anyone is able to make a quest with the guild, even those who are not a part of it so long as they pay the minimum standard for a quests difficulty rating based on the ranking system. For example, a merchant can put in a request with the guild to have adventurers escort them safely to another city. When the request has been paid for then we put out a quest over there on the Quest Board for adventurers to take a look at and identify which jobs they'd like to take. However, certain ranks can only take certain quests.
Adventurers can take any quest so long it is of their own same rank or lower. The only times an adventurer may take a quest higher than their rank is either when the guild itself permits it under special circumstances or when an adventurer is going for the rank up test. Each quest comes with a reward usually paid out by the guild itself upon completion of a job. Proof of a successful mission whether it be confirmation of a kill or a signed confirmation of a job completion is required in order for payment though. So please make sure you get your quest forms signed or remember to bring back confirmation of an eliminated target.
Lastly, the benefits of joining the Adventurers Guild are listed on the fourth page for you to look through but I'll go ahead and explain the basics. Every adventurer has the right to a funeral regardless of whether or not any body or possessions are retrievable. In the event you die while on a quest assigned by the guild then it is the Adventurer's Guild's duty to pay for and arrange any proper burial services the fallen may require based on their wishes.
Adventurers also have full access to any facilities that the specific guild hall may have to offer. For example some guild halls such as this one have bars open only to adventurers who are a part of the guild. Some guilds may also have things like training grounds and even rooms for rent and much more.
These are just the basics for now but if you want to take a further look through those documents and come back at another time when you feel ready then you may do so at your convenience. The guild hall is open all hours for adventurers but has standard operating hours between 7AM and 5."
Matt nodded along as Neves relayed all the information while he looked over the documents. He only skimmed through the papers quickly but didn't note anything that really concerned him enough to bring him any pause. He'd already begun to sign the papers while Neves was still explaining the quests to him and he was done by the time she was done explaining the benefits. She gave him an odd look when he pushed the papers back to her after he waited a moment to see if she had anything else she needed to add to the details. She then sighed once more and made sure he had signed in all the appropriate places before she reached down under the counter and pulled out a thin piece of wood that looked like a wand. With a few gestures in the air over the document with the wand, Neves had somehow made a copy of the documents appear almost out of thin air on the countertop next to the originals. She then put the wand away and produced a small wooden stamp that she'd already pressed with ink and stamped both of the documents with what looked like the Guild's Seal.
"This one's for you" she said as she handed him the copies before she placed the originals in a small wicker basket in the corner of her area.
The moment the papers landed in the basket, they were enveloped by a bright warm light before they suddenly vanished into thin air. Matt stared stunned at the place where the papers had just been before Neves placed a heavy object onto the counter with a loud thud. It was glass sphere of sorts that was about the same size as Neves's head. It looked like one of those lawn ornaments you saw on top of a pedestal in someone's garden. It was mostly purple with slight accents of purple that moved around inside like waves of water constantly crashing into one another. There was a faint glow coming from the orb that bathed the counter top and some of its other surroundings in its almost malevolent purple hue.
A small crowd of adventurers from the bar were suddenly now paying more attention to the trio at the counter as a slight silence fell over the hall. Matt felt like he'd just become the main spectacle in a circus as more than half the eyes in the room were on him rather than the other two or the orb. He frowned slightly at the amount of sudden attention but he guessed that whatever this orb was for, must have been something big enough to garner the room's full attention.
"This crystal ball will help measure your different aptitudes when it comes to specific skills needed to become an adventurer. It'll be key in telling us exactly what rank you should be for our placement program. So, if you'd please, just place your hand on the orb and we will begin" Neves explained.
"Big fella. Bet you he's at least Steel" came one of the hushed voices of the nearby adventurers
"Pffft please. He looks too simple. I'd wager he's a bronze."
"What's up with his funny clothes? Is he a member of the WWR?"
"Didn't you hear? The WWR is gone! Someone went and whipped them all out over at the Blue Hedgehog last night."
Matt's frown deepened when he overheard the last bit of the conversations being had. He wondered if the WWR was the gang in which the leader and witch doctor he'd killed last night had belonged to.
"I heard it was another Nornsman that came from the North to tie up some sort of loose ends with Kodrinkin"
"Hey, that fella sure looks like a Nornsman doesn't he?"
Matt was listening to these conversations when he felt Akira place her hand gently on his back. She was looking up at him with a soft smile that when he looked down at her, somehow seemed to help steel his confidence and calm his nervous emotions. He gave her a small thankful nod before he looked back to the orb and slowly reached out towards it as the room suddenly fell into complete silence.
The orb wasn't cold like Matt thought it would have been. It was warm, almost to the point of being hot even and he could feel a sort of pulsing radiance coming from it as it shot up along his arm and then through his whole body. The storm inside the orb began to intensify and the light began to rapidly change colors. Matt felt like he'd been tossed into some weird psychedelic storm at sea as he felt himself begin to feel a bit off balance as if he was trying to find his sea legs in the middle of squall. He tightened his grip onto the orb as if that somehow kept him stable and his eyes remained locked on the raging storm deep within the orb. He felt drawn into it, like somehow it was calling to him. Instead of letting go at the weird and slightly uneasy sensation though, Matt instead gripped the orb harder still. He felt as though that if he were to let go of the orb now, that he'd be somehow standing down to whatever force was in the orb. Matt wasn't sure why he continued to hold on, but it almost felt like he was fighting a losing battle he could never win. Like the odds were stacked impossibly against him and that there was no hope of him being able to hold on forever. He almost swore he heard some sort of evil, malevolent laugh deep within, coming from the orb and storm inside. It… was mocking him.
"Fuck… you" Matt said as he refused to let go now.
His own will and drive kicked in harder than ever now as he felt himself gritting his teeth. There was no way in hell he was going to lose to some lawn ornament and with that, the orb began to crack. The intensity of the storm grew fearser for a moment as if in some sort of last ditch effort to try and throw Matt off of it. He only held on tighter, determined to show his resolve as the crack grew bigger and bigger. The storm grew as the cracks did, encircling Matt in a whirlwind gale that made Matt feel like he was standing inside of an E5 tornado. But he just wouldn't-let-go. Finally, the orb cracked one last time before it shattered into a thousand bits of glass that shot out like a shotgun blast in all directions. Matt heard cries and shouts of those all around him as many ducked for cover. Windows on the second floor shattered from the outward force and even Matt was finally broken away from his steadfast stance and was thrown to the ground, but not before he'd reached out and grabbed both Akira and Neves in his arms. He turned his back mid flight to shield them both with his body from the millions of tiny pieces of glass that seemed impossibly way too many for the size of the orb it had once been. He fell to the ground on his knees and covered them both as even the heavy doors of the guild hall were blown open and almost off their hinges. Then, it was all quiet and still. Not a single sound was made and for a moment, Matt was worried he'd blown out his eardrums somehow until he heard Neves' small raspy voice coming from under him.
"Akira, who in the Nine Hells did you get yourself wrapped up with?"