Chương 42: Chapter 28: Adventurer's Guild – Part II

Darran leads the way toward the contract board lining the far wall of the guild hall. Up close, the sheer number of notices proves almost overwhelming. Parchments of varying sizes cover the wooden surface beneath carefully arranged headings. Some requests bear fresh ink while others appear worn around the edges from repeated handling. The requests filling the boards were of all types, escort requests, material gathering commissions, investigations, missing persons even general labor and lastly beast contracts.

I find myself lingering on the last category.

"Most people walk into the guild believing every adventurer spends their days slaying monsters," Darran says as we stop before the board.

"The reality tends to be less glamorous." He gestures toward a cluster of notices pinned together.

"Three missing livestock reports." Then toward another, "An escort request for a merchant caravan travelling west." His gaze shifts elsewhere.

"Someone willing to spend two days removing nests from the rafters of a granary." I study the notice, "The guild handles all of these?"

"When the city lacks the manpower or expertise to do so," Darran replies.

"Sometimes people simply need an extra pair of hands." The answer catches me slightly off guard. I am not entirely certain what I had expected. Perhaps something grander and a little bit more dramatic. Instead, the board presents a city's everyday concerns arranged neatly upon parchment. People seeking help and others willing to provide it for a fee. My attention once again drifts toward the beast contracts. Several involve creatures I have never encountered before.

Others carry names I recognize from Elarion's enchanted forests. Then one particular notice draws my attention. The parchment itself appears unremarkable. Its contents however, do not. Repeated attacks reported upon orchard workers east of Fallowspire. Livestock losses increasing over the previous two weeks. Suspected Briarthorn Tusker. Verification required. Compensation available upon successful completion. I reread the notice once, then again.

"Briarthorn Tuskers," I say slowly.

"Do they normally attack people?" Darran's expression grows more thoughtful.

"No." I glance toward him.

"They are territorial creatures," he explains.

"Powerful enough to become dangerous when provoked, but they generally avoid settlements."

"Then why are orchard workers being attacked?"

"If we already possessed the answer," Darran says, "there would be no reason to post the contract." The response settles uncomfortably within me. I return my attention toward the parchment. Evidence of unusual aggression observed. Exercise caution. The wording bothers me. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Has anyone investigated this already?" I ask.

"Two adventurers accepted the contract separately," Darran replies.

"Neither found signs of any ordinary migration patterns."

"What happened?"

"They withdrew from the assignment." I study the notice in silence. The simplest explanation would be an aggressive beast threatening nearby communities. The wording however, suggests otherwise. Unusual aggression, repeated attacks, failed investigations, I think of Havlar's advice, of choices, of purpose.

"What happens if the problem can be resolved without killing the creature?" I ask. Darran studies me for several moments before answering.

"If the threat to local residents ends, the guild concerns itself primarily with results." I glance once more toward the contract. Liora had mentioned that acceptable proof of completion would be listed within the request itself. A smaller note appears near the bottom. Killing the beast is preferred. Any alternative resolutions are subjected to guild review. Relief settles quietly beneath my ribs.

"Can I accept this one?" I ask.

"You can," Darran replies.

"Although I should point out that first contracts are generally chosen with fewer complications in mind."

"You think this one will be complicated?"

"I think," Darran says carefully, "that creatures rarely abandon established behavior without reason." The distinction matters. I reach toward the parchment before hesitating briefly. A beast behaving in ways it should not. Workers afraid to tend their orchards. Questions waiting somewhere beyond Fallowspire's walls. I remove the contract from the board.

"I'd like to take this assignment." Darran nods once.

"Then let's make it official." Together, we turn back toward the reception desk. Liora accepts the contract from Darran before carefully reviewing the details written beneath the guild seal. She reaches for another document before sliding it across the counter toward me.

"I'll need your name for the guild records."

"Kaelen." Liora pauses, then looks up.

"Just Kaelen?" I hesitate briefly before nodding.

"Just Kaelen." The receptionist records the information without comment.

"You'll also need to sign here acknowledging that you understand the contract conditions and agree to report the outcome of the assignment upon returning to Fallowspire." I glance toward the indicated section. The document contains considerably more writing than I had anticipated. Darran waits patiently beside me.

"Does everyone have to complete this?" I ask.

"Everyone," Liora confirms. Satisfied that the guild has developed an appreciation for unnecessary paperwork, I sign where instructed. Liora reviews the document once more before adding the guild's seal near the bottom.

"The contract is now officially assigned to you." The simple declaration carries more weight than I expect. Not because of the assignment itself but because this time, I had chosen it. Liora reaches beneath the desk before retrieving a folded map.

"The orchard district lies approximately half a day's travel east of the city," she explains.

"The affected workers have been instructed to direct adventurers toward the areas where the attacks occurred." I study the marked locations. The orchards occupy a broad stretch of cultivated land bordering the forests beyond Fallowspire.

"Has anyone been killed?" I ask. Liora glances toward the accompanying reports, "No fatalities have been recorded so far," she says.

"Several workers sustained injuries while protecting livestock."

"Which is part of the reason the contract remains active," Darran adds.

"People are becoming increasingly reluctant to work in the area." I fold the map carefully before storing it among my belongings.

"When would you recommend leaving?"

"The sooner the better," Darran replies.

"A frightened community tends to invent explanations faster than solutions." I nod, "I'll head out today." Liora makes a final notation upon the contract ledger before setting her quill aside.

"Please remember to return to the guild regardless of the outcome," she says.

"Even incomplete investigations provide valuable information."

"I understand." The receptionist inclines her head, "Then I wish you success." Darran studies me for a moment before speaking.

"One final piece of advice." I wait.

"Don't become so focused upon proving the contract wrong that you ignore what stands in front of you." I frown slightly, "You think I'm likely to do that?"

"I think people often notice what they expect to find." The answer does little to clarify his meaning. Perhaps that is intentional. I adjust Vael's staff across my shoulder before turning toward the guild entrance. The hall continues much as before. No one pays particular attention as I make my way toward the doors. Outside, Fallowspire carries on beneath the afternoon sun. I pause briefly at the top of the guild steps before unfolding the map once more, East Orchard Belt and Briarthorn Tusker.

Reading the map, I descend the final step and turn eastward. The journey toward the orchards has begun.