The smell of smoked meat filled Iris's lungs, turning toward the kitchen she could see a bovine leg almost the height of a man with thick black bark hanging behind the counter from a large hook, being slowly chopped into thin slices by the chef each time someone approached the counter. The elf turned her head back and saw a small line assembled in front of the reception comprised in equal parts of a gaggle of children and a team of adventurers. Her eyes quickly scanned over both of the groups, finding a mithril badge pinned on one of the adventurer's chests.

 

"We wanted to take this quest." A young voice sounded from behind Iris as she turned to gaze at the quest board, finding quite a few quests which were a couple of weeks old.

 

"Extermination mission?!" A panic voice of the receptionist in training sharply rose over the ambient noise. "No, no, no, those are not safe to do for you all. How about a harvesting quest? I remember putting a request for ten baskets of Blue Moss on the board."

 

"NO! We want this one. We already did the harvest quest dozens of times" The youngsters shouted.

 

"You know youngsters that you don't need permission from her to take on that job?" A woman with fiery red hair spoke up, speaking softly to the assembled street rats as she tapped her shoe impatiently. "When I was your age, I already earned five gold a week from doing these."

 

On all six dirty faces, an awed expression took firm hold upon imagining what the mithril rank adventurer had said to them. Who could resist the opportunity of seizing wealth and luxury held back only by a few petty quests? Especially when living proof of this dream stood right in front of them, seemingly encouraging them to gain a better life.

 

"Wait!" The receptionist shouted.

 

Six heads passed Iris, three with black hair, two with brown and one with dirt blonde hair stampeded passed her and left the room with impressive speed, appearing as one big blur rather than a group. Every human beside her held their hand's satchels, making sure the group of urchins didn't gain any ideas about enriching themselves quickly.

 

"You monster!" Ela, the receptionist shouted at the mithril-ranked adventurer.

 

"What? You took too long to sort them out."

 

"They are going to die. How could you do this to them?"

 

"No risk, no biscuit. I hadn't even lied to them either and streets for the likes of them are more dangerous than monsters in the sewers," The woman said before clicking her fingers causing flame to erupt from between her fingers. The hue of her skin changed as the bare flame danced in the draft, slowly turning from hot pink to a more natural colour. "Quit crying, would you?"

 

The receptionist seemed to want to respond, her chest filled with air ready to scold the mage but at the last minute, her posture crumbled and she disappeared behind a door while shielding her face in her hands.

 

"Time." The voice of a man emerged from the tattered cloak under which Iris could see bandages wrapping the person's arm from fingers upward.

 

"I know, should have played this differently but it's not like I knew she was this sensitive. They don't care more often than not."

 

"Give the paper to me and I'm going to find her," Another member of the team spoke up. A man no higher than Kia would be turned around and raise his eyebrow. "The more time we waste the higher time our target escapes."

 

"And what would you do if they notice you?"

 

"I would restrain them." The man responded sounding offended by the fire mage doubt in him. 

 

"Two of them at once without any support? Unlikely."

 

"But I can kill them easily if that becomes a problem." The man resembling a rogue of some sort with two knives hanging on each hip replied.

 

"And if the contract is for them to be captured alive? This is a request from the Guild Master himself and whoever wrote this seemed to not realise how important adding a Dead or Alive clause for these sorts of quests is." The flame-haired leader said causing the rogue to reserve himself back into observing the world around him with stern eyes.

 

The elf's eyes panned toward the noise appearing to her left, managing to see Samuel resting a candle back on the table after using it to light the contents of his pipe.

 

"Samuel." The woman spoke up with none of the pompous tone present in her voice anymore.

 

"Speak quickly before I get really angry at you Aishia." A voice sharp enough to cut wood caused the gold and mithril adventurers to jerk, their bodies standing at attention.

 

"I wanted to inquire about information about this quest."

 

"Show me." Samuel outstretched his true arm toward Aishia. As soon as his eyes glanced at the paper he leaned his body to the side to see past the adventurers. "I don't think this quest is valid any more."

 

"What do you mean?" A woman beside Aishia wearing medium armour who remained silent through everything spoke up.

 

"Because your target seemed to have been falsely accused."

 

"And how do you know this?"

 

"She is right behind you."

 

"What!" 

 

The elf felt the need to press her hands against her ears as four pairs of eyes glued themselves on her tall figure.

 

"I think I'm owed an explanation."

 

"Then come." The older man said, opening the small door leading behind the counter and waving her through.

 

"What about us?" The pyromancer said, clicking her fingers again as her steadily hotter-looking hue of skin turned colder.

 

"Get a new quest." Samuel replied before opening another door and leading Iris deeper into the staff-only area.

 

"I presume that me being here is more about you not wanting to see them." Iris said that instead of an office a storage room filled with raw monster parts greeted her with a particular odour of preserving tonics.

 

"You're a bright one, aren't you? But yes I could have said everything I'm about to say without you needing to come here," The one-armed human said, not sounding like he was in the best of moods. "Where were you?"

 

"In the city." The tall undead responded raising her eyebrow as she recalled all the stipulations put on her for abandoning the contract in Marinya.

 

"Where? The guild had asked every single innkeeper in the city and we couldn't find you." The elf pondered if Samuel's frustrated voice was caused by the cost of having to go around the huge city and ask every single owner of an inn or tavern about an elf.

 

"In the Academy." 

 

"..." Samuel's eyes narrowed as his powerful aura was unleashed before eventually speaking up. "Is this where the little one is now?" 

 

"Yes."

 

"Shouldn't have wished to live in more interesting times. Who on nine hells are you two, to be both adventurers and be allowed into that ass hive?" The old adventurer muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Don't answer that actually. Heard that ignorance is bliss and I rather not have more headaches than I have now."

 

"Ass hive?"

 

"The mages are a bunch of assholes," The man explained before quickly adding. "You didn't hear that from me by the way."

 

"What hive?" Iris's frown lifted as she tilted her head to the side and copied how Kia's expression causing the man to chuckle.

 

"Why do you not look like you're on your way out?"

 

"I would like to ask about these quests and where are they located." Iris raised the quest which caught her attention close to her face.