"This is definitely the place." Michael said. He didn't want to mention how different they looked than everybody else. Michael didn't wear any armor nor did he look the same as the commoners. He even pointed out the glances he received from the people outside. It was as if they were sizing him up, trying to find any goods in his body before he entered.
Michael dragged them inside. The first thing he noticed was how the place smelled heavily of booze. It felt like the tradition of drinking passed around no matter where you were.
The registrar was huge, only including tables and chairs for the adventurers to sit down and maybe have a meal if they even served food. People stood around and conversed with their party as the women in formal clothing accompanied them around. Michael assumed these people were the receptionist, in charge of accounting on the adventurers. His mother brought him here before but only a few times as none of this was good for young children.
Michael walked them into the back where more large tables stood with papers stacked high to their heads. Books placed neatly on shelves and another set of stairs behind them into the second floor. He forgot to mention there was an archway at the ends of the table, welcoming adventurers into the courtyard of the place which housed even more buildings.
He waited in-line behind people, just like him, becoming an adventurer. But they even looked more equipped and ready to start their journey. All Michael was holding was the hand of the girl beside him.
"I imagined worse," she said. "Thought this entire place would turn upside-down with all these people. It's surprising nothing has broken yet—"
Someone roared on the other side of the room, slamming another adventurer through one of the tables. Michael caught the guards that moved to apprehend him. They were probably here to reinforce the peace so nothing gets out of hand.
Evelyn shook his hand. "Are you scared?"
"Why would I be scared?"
"You're looking around a lot. I can tell that you're scared."
"These people," Michael hesitated. "They look better than I do. When you think of an adventurer, you think of their armor and the money they have."
"And, what do you have?"
He tugged at his shirt.
She pinched his hand. "You have me, stupid, did you forget I was standing next to you?"
Michael rubbed his hand. "I think I held your hand longer than I ever held a sword."
"Yeah, and you're welcome."
He tried to laugh it off. These people had shining armor, fancy swords, and scary staffs that were all designed to help them as an adventurer. They've already fought beasts and known the line of work, treating it as some other typical day. What if Michael was really risking his life here? He never even learned how to wield a sword yet and he's so confident that Evelyn could somehow make things work again. Was it just because he wanted to protect Evelyn? This entire time all he's been thinking about is her and less for himself. He's been running around and having fun instead of learning how to actually use Evelyn as a sword.
"Hey," she snapped him back. "It's okay, we're not going to die."
"What—" Michael startled. "We're going to die?"
"No," she pinched his hand again, making him flinch. "You're scared that you'll get us both killed. You won't, I promise that you won't."
Michael rubbed his hand again.
"You can learn how to swing a sword, right? It's like teaching someone how to read, it isn't anything different. You'll get stronger, then I'll get stronger, deal?"
Michael nodded his head. He always dreamed about becoming an adventurer, he didn't understand why he felt so scared. But dreams were dreams, and they weren't the same as reality.
After a few more minutes, they made it both to the front. Michael asked to register and they handed him a paper to fill out. It almost looked identical to the forms he read to join the workers union.
Your name, your last name, chosen class, place of origin, guild preference, list of parties, past occupations, and more, mainly asking to know your ideal information. What they emphasized was your name and chosen class. Michael asked them about what classes they meant and they told him: Warrior, mage, or rogue. There were other derivations but they weren't relevant to tell him. He just looked like an ordinary kid that didn't know what he was getting into.
"A warrior?" Michael pointed at the text. "I could be a warrior."
Evelyn frowned. "No, that sounds weird."
"How does that sound weird?"
"We're like the same height. I thought warriors were big and tall, and you look nothing like that."
"I'm not sure if you're making fun of me."
"Fill the paper," the guild receptionist said in a monotone voice. "Do not hold up the line."
Michael filled out his form with any information he had left of himself. They handed the same form to Evelyn, which sort of confused them but he just filled it out the same for her. Evelyn would be like a childhood friend that came along with him, that was the story he fabricated. She didn't oppose the idea and even looked like she enjoyed that story.
"Your thumb," the receptionist said. "Let me see."
They faced their thumbs out.
She pointed both of her fingers onto them. There was a sting, like something had pecked his thumb until he found out the small drop of blood that leaked out. The receptionist directed them to press hard against their filled papers.
Michael felt like he was zoning out. He stared at Evelyn's blood. She could bleed. After the whole lesson about her being a sword, she's felt more human to Michael than as a weapon. The sight of her blood felt like his chest was swelling.
"Michael," Evelyn looked at him. "Press your thumb."
He snapped out. He pressed alongside her on his own paper.
The receptionist lifted both of their papers and ignited them in a quick flame, then it was gone. Michael couldn't even tell what just happened but he assumed he was now officially an adventurer.
She pointed to the other side of the room. "Over there, you will find the public quest boards. You must assign those open quests at the registrar and execute them to receive your reward. Your rank will only increase by the contribution you have as an adventurer. Do you have any questions?"
"How do we…turn in the quest?"
"By clearing the objective. If you meant to exterminate a nest of wild beasts, we will send a team to review your work then you will be rewarded. If it means defending land, then you will be rewarded by your guild. If it concerns another person, your reward is determined by that third-party."
Michael wasn't sure he understood any of that. "How do I join a guild?"
"Mister Velo, I can see you again—"
"Yeah, no problem." Evelyn dragged him away before Michael could tick off any more adventurers behind him. She stood them in front of the quest boards shown by the receptionist.
Papers were stuck on the board and stamped with some kind of red ink. A red star repeated across the pages, different from the last. One would have only three while the one next to it had five red stars. The most Michael could count was five, and it looked like those types of quests hung for the longest. He watched other adventurers take lower-starred quests the moment they were stamped on the board. They even cursed each other out, snaking the money away from the other party.
Michael watched the more geared, calloused face, and organized party grab the four-starred quests. They already knew exactly what they were doing.
From what he saw, this is how the quests went. One star quests looked too easy, from gathering some type of specific resources outside the kingdom for a developing establishment. The second star became more hands-on, requesting some aid to escort traveling commoners or extra security for nobles. Third star tests your skills, asking you to scout and protect the outskirts from migrating beasts. Four star quests cut to the chase, immediately assigning you to deal with a target. It could have been a ravenous beast or to capture a fugitive. Five star quests, Michael could only count two. One was to eradicate the bandit camp operating in the uncharted.
Michael moved them out the way for more incoming adventurers grabbing quests. He didn't even know where to start. Somewhere too simple couldn't get him anywhere and something too hard could risk his life. He looked at one in particular, one about slaying the lich that's been taken over in a desolate church. The picture is drawn, depicting a mage that's been decomposed to the bone, wielding some staff that's emphasized on the paper.
He pulled it off the board. "This one could buy us something."
"Lich," she looked at the paper. "You think you can kill that?"
Michael compared this quest to the rest of them. Anything that was two or three stars sounded like he needed a party. And he would have to assign one star quest over and over just for a fraction of a two starred quest. But for this quest, it sounded like he and Evelyn could do it alone.
"Woah, kid," someone grabbed the quest from his hands. "What're you doing with that? I hope you're not grabbing that quest, right?"
It was some other adventurer, a whole foot taller than him, equipped with armor. His party conversed behind him as he picked a quest alongside Michael.
Michael grabbed it back while standing on his toes.
"That's a four starred quest, kid," he pressed his hand on Michael's hair. "Are you even looking at the papers? Why don't you take something down over there, it's more suited for a beginner like you."
Michael pushed away his hand. He thought this guy's breath smelled like booze.
"Get your own," Evelyn grabbed the paper herself. "We had this first."
The adventurer couldn't help but chuckle. "Your grave."