Quintin leveled his gaze at Cassida and saw the color drain from her features. Halrik paced around the room happily while ignoring the atmosphere and muttering about his newly gained [Levels]. Quintin could tell she was anxious and unprepared even with the idea given by the [Message] that it wouldn't be an ordinary [Bounty].

He wasn't sure how this would be handled and saw her struggle to say anything momentarily, but eventually, she did, "Shit. This is a problem. A big, steaming pile of it. This head needs to go away to some other branch before people start making demands and sending personnel!"

He saw Halrik sitting comfortably in a large, comfy-looking chair with a broad smile plastered on his face as he watched Cassida. She strode back and forth on the floorboards like a repetitive metal brushstroke that caused the paper to groan and threaten to tear, her forehead mirrored the experience well.

"...then it becomes another branch-guilds problem," Cassida muttered to herself using broken sentences. "More willing to take on board..."

Her face suddenly shot up to look at Quintin, who was still deeply concentrated on deciphering what she was saying. He said the first thing that came to his mind in mild surprise, "Which means whoever can take all of their issues and questions to a more well-connected place, away from here."

"Exactly!" Cassida exclaimed, and a smile briefly formed but was soon overtaken by a deeper frown. "It seems this mission is just as much of a dilemma for you. You should be thankful that our [Guildmaster] is absent, and that I'm unwilling to undertake the role in this sort of capacity. Shit..."

She passed a hand through her short golden hair. Quintin asked with slight nervousness, "What does all of this mean for me, then? Does this mean you'll be sending the [Bounty Head] to some other place? Will I be able to register as an adventurer and go on my way?"

Cassida shrugged helplessly and was about to respond when a knock came from the door to the trophy space. She collected up the head and placed it in her own [Bag of Holding] before going to open the door. Some whispered words were exchanged, and a piece of rolled-up parchment was passed to her, which she read while absently closing the door again.

After a few moments, her face slowly turned red as anger caused her to crumple the paper into a ball and throw it to the floor in an exaggerated fashion.

She closed her eyes and attempted to calm down and said, "Good news! It seems our fair [Guildmaster] has eyes and ears everywhere! You'll have your membership. You'll even be able to do as you please. Apparently, I'll be sending the head off to Groanmarket, where it will be further evaluated and verified."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and made for the door once again. She stopped, briefly, after opening it to turn her head and ask a question that wasn't a question,

"Coming?"

***

Quintin felt helpless as he trudged along behind Cassida and Halrik. He only hoped that not too many parties would shift their focus onto him. The loss of control was stifling as he began to realize just how big this all was, and it loomed over him like a spectral storm. Images spun in his mind of a high tsunami of voices, a deluge of inquiry and personnel rising into the sky, ready to come crashing down — his back crushed against a reef of scrutiny.

He now knew this was all just standard operating procedures, or as standard as such a weighty bounty deserved. Until now, he didn't understand its seriousness in relation to the World. At least he would be able to make himself scarce, or so he hoped while trying not to misguide himself with an illusion of being able to escape forever. He just needed to let the moment age a little to see what he could do.

Quintin still had time, he figured it would take at least a few days for the [Bounty Head] to get to Groanmarket, and for anyone who was set to come, to come.

He raised his head with determination and clenched his fists with a fervent desire to get stronger. "I want to become an adventurer! Sign me up! This is the real challenge: to undergo the scrutiny of some powerful people and rise to face it!"

Halrik and Cassida stutter-stopped in their tracks, both were startled out of their own thoughts. They regarded him with growing amusement that finally broke with their passions ignited by his words. Cassida clapped him on the back heartily while smiling and said with a chuckle,

"That's the spirit boy! I think I underestimated you. Leave the matters that cannot be helped for later, do what you can now."

She looked back at Halrik before continuing to walk. Their eyes met and communicated an understanding before he broke off to go somewhere else.

"Registering is as noninvasive as possible. I'll have you put your face in a light-mesh device to take your facial dimensions. The device also takes your basic information such as name, age, race, class, any jobs you may have, level, and current team."

She led Quintin back to the lobby proper while speaking over her shoulder.

"The information is put inside your unique [Adventurer's Badge]. This allows for easy access to your current [Contracts] as well as your history of completed [Contracts], [Bounties], [Personal Quest] data, and others." She went behind the reception counter and brought out a pyramidal device before motioning towards a curtained booth in a somewhat private corner of the main room.

She held it up, then set it down on a desk inside the booth, and flicked a switch on its base to start it. "This device makes everything an organized, swift ordeal, rather than a tedious, time-consuming task for all parties involved."

The device seemed to flicker for a brief moment as it whirred into life. A light-bright meshwork came out from the tip of the pyramid, cascading upwards in a triangular array. Cassida made a motion with her hands and face to indicate Quintin needed to put his head inside the meshwork for it to work, but he still chose to [Identify] it first.

He put his head within the particle screen now that he knew what it did. He held his head still for ten seconds or so before a green verification color blinkered into existence from the pyramid. He squinted his eye from the beam's closeness and looked to Cassida, who gave him a thumbs-up, after which, he pulled his head away.

This [M.I.G.A] device bypasses concealment attempts, at least up to rank 3. I doubt it would've turned green without success or, at the very least, good enough information gathered... He mused even as the [M.I.G.A.] began to whir ever harder with more noises, and a square badge began to take form from a base slot in the device.

"Everything seems to be in order," Cassida said while she took up the completed, bronze-colored badge. She scanned it with orange eyes and made to hand it over to Quintin with a wild smile.

Quintin took the badge with a bemused look and spoke, "What's with the creepy smile, Vice-Guildmistress?"

"Oh, you know... I've seen something new today. I can see why the Ghastly Half-Hearts would want to nurture you, is all."

A sharp glint passed through her eyes as they returned to blue.

                         +***+
                      End of Touchdown.