Raising Wonders

Chapter 3: Open City (Part 4)

The location for lunch was the Adventurer's Guild. Chloe had heard of the renowned buildings before and was most excited to visit it. Every town and city had a guild building that would organise work for adventurers and leading it was the guild master. They were starting point of many tales and a point of interest for basically all stories. Vast amounts of work would fly through the doors of the guild. From cleaning houses and finding pets to slaying demons and dragons, the variety of requests was as many as troubles in the world.

So when Chloe approached the building she was trepid with nerves. It was located in the centre of the Market district and took up a sizeable space. The building unlike the cathedral blended into its surrounds taking upon the city's architecture but doubling in size. The sleek white walls and tiled roof combined with wooden rafters gave a rugged feeling. The double doors resting on top a small flight of stairs was closed but the design of icy waves upon it shouted the beginnings of adventure.

Mask pushed open the door to allow Chloe to enter first. Her heart thudded and the grip on the two books she held to her chest tightened. The expectations she had built up in her mind however came tumbling down. In regards to its look it was as she imagined. A large foyer with dozens of tables for people to meet and eat. A wide counter to the side, waiting to give out jobs. A board that stretched across an entire wall covered in requests. It was as she imagined, even with the second floor and large chandelier to light the space. There was just one problem, it was basically empty.

A single lady yawning in boredom behind the counter and a man hungover across a table in the far corner. That was it. Chloe felt that a drifting ball of tumbleweed would suit the quiet, lonely atmosphere.

"Is something wrong Chloe?" Mask asked as they stepped into the foyer.

"Where is everyone?" she asked visibly perplexed.

"It's the winter months," Mask replied. "Most adventurers leave Toren to find better work south or east of here. Though even for that this place seems quite empty. Hopefully the kitchen is still open."

The pair approached the counter where the waiting lady suddenly sprang into action, "Ah- Wel-wel-." She coughed loudly to clear her throat. "Sorry about that. Welcome to the Toren Adventurer's Guild. My name is Lana, how may I assist you today?"

Mask slid over his guild card, "I'm looking for some work and lunch for my niece and I. I was told that a Mr Mortez may have a request."

The guild lady Lana twisted her mouth, "As you can see by the board there's plenty of work but the pay isn't great. As for Mr Mortez, let me check." She ducked behind the counter and reappeared with a single sheet of paper. "Here it is. A request for slime to use for wall mortar. Plenty to hunt in the northern field but it'll be bloody cold. Again the pay is... low. Up to you if you pick it up. As for lunch, our chef is in today, but he usually works in the pub across the street for winter. As you can see not much point to serve people here."

Mask took the job sheet and made a point to look around the empty guild, "It's a bit too quiet even for winter isn't it?"

"Well what do you expect, Mr Mortez isn't even offering 10g per litre of slime. You could make more begging off the street. The only reason adventurers come in the summer is to head to the Artic."

"Shouldn't the guild be adding to the reward? If it's to help fix the wall, you should get something from the City Council."

"We'd love to, but all our funding goes elsewhere if you get what I mean," she rolled her eyes to the second floor. "The people in the city just don't have the funds to compete."