It takes me a minute longer to realise that the room was cold compared to the hallway and I shiver a little, rubbing my arms. With a sigh I pull my cloak tighter around me, feeling foolish as I continue reading the posters. The wall of requests, some older than most buried amongst the chaos, red marks across them as if cancelled. The requests on the board help my biochip gather more data on the natural language of the area. A big enough sample size for it to make me a pretty good reader of the languages in the area.
The requests on the board list a variety of tasks, from cleaning sheds and tidying the roads, to killing groups of monsters, hunting a rarer creature for alchemical parts or finding materials and herbs needed for potions. One request catches my eye however, looking closely at the poster I spot two names listed under the title, both female. A missing persons report, someone's sister went missing a few days ago. I expect with the level of tech that currently exists that they haven't developed methods of tracking people beyond basic senses. Maybe they're using magic?
Reading the details of the quest carefully I note that the sister seemed to have disappeared on her way to a nearby abandoned mine which has some of the mushrooms this village uses in food and some medicinal pastes. Gathering a bit more information from the board about the request, the fact it is within my grade as a gold rank makes it a simple enough quest.
Returning to the reception area I present the paper to Ena who is sitting at the same counter, sorting a larger pile of paperwork, possibly related to me signing up. She glances over at me as I approach, presenting the request I want to take to her she checks over it before speaking up. "Very well, let us see if we can find someone to supervise your first few missions, I've called someone down while I go through this with you. First, the mission takes place in an old mine that was used to gather a mineral called Moglalt, the mineral concentration led to a special type of mushroom growing in the empty mine network. Most of the mines were blocked off, caved in or other methods to keep it safe but that doesn't prevent creatures from setting up home in them. You must locate the missing person, preferably alive but failing that dead. Then either bring them back, or some method of identification. Since you will have someone who will be supervising you they can help transport the body if needed."
As Ena finishes her explanation of the rules and general practises a orc-looking man comes down the stairs and heads towards Enas' counter. He looks at me curiously, raising his eyebrows slightly. "This the new recruit Ena?" He appraises me as he comes to a stop next to me, giving me a brief smile and nod of greeting.
"Yes, this is Meidu." Ena responds politely, gesturing to him. "Meidu, meet Xenos Caliber, one of the trainers here. Even though he is a half orc, unlike stereotypes he has a lot of technical training and skill rather than just brute strength. His primary role is teaching new recruits the basics of survival and combat techniques and will be evaluating your expedition today."
He seems to chuckle at his introduction, "As I kept telling my friends, hitting hard is important but aiming is even more important" He says, bowing slightly. "You may call me either Xenos or Cali. We don't need long names when we are in the middle of combat."
Smiling warmly I reply, "Well met Xenos, pleased to formally meet you." Giving a short bow in return before returning my attention to Ena. "So, does this mean that he will be accompanying me on my first mission?"
"Of course," Ena answers simply. "If you are unsure of something he can give information about it. We just have to be sure our new recruits can manage to do their job well. He will also be giving out guild peace of mind that you are capable enough to be left alone on future missions unless you wish to team up with any specific parties."
Glancing sideways at him, I notice that Xenos is wearing a sword on his hip along with a shield strapped to his arm. As far as weapons go he isn't particularly impressive looking, his armour is enchanted but nothing immediately visible which might cause some people to underestimate its effectiveness if they lack any kind of magic sight. In contrast, the blade and shield look very sharp indeed. It certainly fits his description as being a trainer, not only is he clearly trained in martial arts from how he walked over but also appears to have a fair knowledge of weaponry.
With a shrug I turn back to face Ena, smiling broadly. "Sounds great, thank you for introducing us. I don't really have supplies at the moment, consider it that I lost a lot of my equipment before I arrived here, I planned to sell a few old-world contraptions I had kept on me to fund my new gear if the guild could handle that?"
Nodding, Ena reaches underneath the desk and produces three small pouches containing coins in addition to something that looks like a really worn out voltmeter. Keeping it to the side she offers a hand out asking for the item, so I pass her the watch I had fabricated to be appraised. Glancing at it, she nods approvingly after a few moments. "That is actually surprisingly high quality workmanship, It is in a really good quality too." she examines the extremely rusty wristwatch further, nodding with enthusiasm at its supposed 'high quality'. "We can easily buy it for two gold pieces which I will pay in silver coins, for 200sp. After that we will sell the item and split the remaining profit above 2gp equally between you and the guild."
Giving another quick nod, I accept the money pouch from her, slipping it into my pocket without opening it. "Sure that's fine."
Ena shakes her head slightly as I pocket the coin pouch, "I can tell you aren't from around here. I recommend when going to any store and being given currency, it is common curtesy to count it. Big coins are worth 10, small are worth 1 and I'm sure you know the 100 into 1 conversion for copper, silver and gold.
