Another world, Celeste

Chapter Twelve

"I think it's best to confirm directly at the gatehouse." Says Erissa.

When we arrive at the gatehouse, Syl goes to ask one of the guards.

"Excuse me, is the adventurer's guild master here?"

The guard stares at Syl in wonder then at the three of us.

"Rangers." He mumbles.

We follow the guard outside the gate to a tent where they set up a command post.

"Guild master, the rangers are here to see you."

The guard salute while announcing our arrival.

Guild master looks even more imposing in full body armour with a sword on his side. When he looks up from the map on the table, he doesn't expect to see us.

"What can I help you with?"

Syl answers on our behalf as usual. "We are here to assist you."

"Your help is greatly appreciated. Beginners and first-timers to this town are not used to handling this much monsters. We've been sending adventurers to the forest lately, so they have gotten used to the area but the damage on the ground hinders their movements."

The biggest reason adventurers come to this town is because the monsters in this vicinity are classified as rank C and higher. Higher-ranking adventurers flocks here to gain achievement points. The difficulty is the weather. Fiery hail is like a seasonal happening for this town and when it does happen, it changes the geographical landmarks of the forest and the monsters' habits and instincts switch into survival mode every time a fiery hail hits. This results in adventurers who are new in this town to be puzzled and greatly affect their actions. For example, a cluster of giant tarantulas ordinarily becomes defensively aggressive when their sensors pick up intruders near their nests suddenly kidnap adventurers and turn them into cocoons when their nest is destroyed due to the fiery hail.

My eyes dart towards another person in the tent. It's the guard who dealt with our identification inspection. What's his name again?

"I'm sorry for the late introduction. I am Senior officer Derek." He formally introduces himself.

Senior Officer Derek inform us of the situation. There are shelters along the path in the forest. Every resident knows where each of them is and they are instructed to abide by the emergency protocol when these things happen. The guards record people's name every time they leave town. For now, they send their men to find them at the shelters and any survivors.

"What about the monsters?" Syl enquires.

"We are observing the situation. Although a great number of them are heading in this direction, the adventurers and guards are working together to push them back."

The four of us are already aware of that.