“Anyway, moving on!”

  The warm smile was back, and Cedric took a second to assess the group. It was notable that although some members looked sick, or in a state of shock, some of them just looked…grim. Like they knew exactly what they were getting into and this was just confirmation. The man with the bandanna was totally unfazed, and the nervous young man next to him was also, interestingly, not looking even slightly changed by the news.

  Either those two have seen some pretty awful stuff, or they have amazing poker faces Cedric thought. The Receptionist continued.

  “Now, as I was saying. Although we try to cater to all skills, we are not a place for anyone. This world, and especially this continent, are dangerous. This is not a place for pacifists. This is also not a place to gain glory from killing alone; it is expected that if you take a job that requires a varied skillset, you have that skillset.

  “We offer personal development and mentoring for our new Adventurers, but we do require a commitment. The Guild also will take a cut of any payment or loot you take.

  “All Adventurers start off as an Associate. This means that you’re affiliated with the Guild, but not a full member. You need to go on what we refer to as a “Sanctioning Job”. This is a job run by an experienced Adventurer, many of whom are looking to be certified as a party leader. While this person may not be a Guild official, they do represent the Guild, and you will be accompanied during this job by an Examiner, who is a guild official. The Examiner will either recommend you be given a membership, where you’ll start as a newly minted “Brittle” ranked Adventurer, recommend you complete additional Sanctioning Jobs for further examination, or recommend you not be made a Guild member at this time.

  “Expect the Sanctioning Jobs to be a large group, heavily combat or survival focused, and relatively straightforwards. We want to make sure that you’re fit for entry, and understand the seriousness of this role. Please keep that in mind, and only sign up if you understand the risks. Thank you for your time. Those still interested, please form a line for processing.”

  Cedric obligingly joined the line. He noticed that a few people filtered off looking green. Most of them were younger, and didn’t have their own weapons or equipment in evidence. In front of him, the Bandanna man had his turn.

  “To process your registration, we need your full name, your main class, and what role you see yourself taking on jobs. We also require at least a bare minimum answer for why you want to join the Guild.”

  “I’m Capt…Sailor. Sailor Gerald. No Cap’n’s here, so don’t call me one!”

  “I see. So your name is Gerald, and your main class is a Sailing based class?”

  “Err…no. My name is Sailor Gerald. My main class is sailing, combat, a little leadership, management, setting up vessels…”

  “So…Captaining ships?”

  “Yes!” he snapped his fingers.

  “But I’d ne’er refer to myself as a Cap’n. No siree. Never me. Ain’t a name I’d ever take for myself. You can just put me down as good ol’ Sailor Gerald, and my class as…ship manager. Sailor manager. Crewman. You can put me down as Crewman Sailor Gerald! And this boyo here is Graham. He’s me cabin boy!”

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  Graham was currently attempting to shrink himself into Gerald’s shadow, assuming he didn’t die of embarrassment on the way.

  “Ohhhhhh-kay.” The confused Receptionist said as she struggled to process the deluge of information and the odd slang.

  “Do either of you have any combat experience at all?”

  “Yes.” They both intoned instantly. They were also both suddenly very, very serious.

  The Receptionist blinked. They didn’t elaborate. Cedric let his eyes float over the two, and observed that Gerald had both a short sword on his belt as well as a flintlock pistol. He blinked. Pistols and other firearms were a rarity, except in port cities, and he’d not seen one up close since…well, before he’d become a Cleric. Considering their reputation in this part of the world for being used by criminals, they were an oddity for an adventurer.

  Cedric also felt a pang of nostalgia. Back where he’d grown up, they weren’t uncommon. Some of the less traditional clans used them in place of the clan blade most young Dwarves were given. He clamped down on that train of thought before he could notice the absence of a familiar weight on his belt. He tried not to think of what was meant to be there, and what he had lost.

  Just as he managed to push back the feelings of something missing, he noticed with a start that Graham had two long dirks, one on either side, strapped to the front of his right thigh, and the side of his left thigh. The sheathes were the same gray as his pants, causing them to blend in slightly, and the handles looked worn.

  The Receptionist nodded, and wrote on a sheaf of papers in front of her.

  “I assume you’ll both be relatively general party members, then?”

  “Aye, I do it all! But the boyo’s got some good eye’s on ‘im. ‘E’ys a good scout, and when he puts ‘is mind to it, can fade into the underbrush real good. Sticky fingers too!”

  “I…see. I’ll put him down as a potential scout for a party then.”

  The Receptionist pointedly did not address the last part of the statement.

  “Grand!”

  As the odd duo shuffled off, Cedric found himself at the front of the line.

  “Hello again! To process your registration, we need your full name, your main class, and what role you see yourself taking on jobs. We also require at least a bare minimum answer for why you want to join the Guild.”

  “Of course! My name is Cedric Mulch. I’m a Cleric of the Smith, and although I can fight and do odd jobs, I do have some capacity as a healer and spellcaster. I’m hoping to become an Adventurer as a long term career path.”

  Cedric paused, as the Receptionist locked eyes on him.

  “A healer you say?”

  Cedric faltered, but pressed on.

  “Yes. Although I’m not exactly high powered, The Smith does provide some healing ability…” he trailed off as the Receptionist pulled out a polished, black rock, and put it in front of him, before putting a piece of paper next to it and splashing some ink all over it.

  “Would you mind putting your hand on here for me?”

  As he did, he felt a tingle, and realized what it was. The Clerics had a different method, and it wasn’t used often in the Clergy.

  The rock made a slight whistling sound for a second, then stopped, and the ink began to move. The Receptionist pulled the sheaf of papers back, and furiously read.

  “I see. This particular stone isn’t very accurate, but…you know leveling convention in this part of the world? We use the Arcane Institute of Eldentower Standard.”

  Cedric nodded. “Of course. That’s pretty basic, isn’t it? It ranks casters according to a level between one and twenty, and gives a general overview of how powerful they are?”

  “Correct! Sorry, I wanted to make sure you were familiar, since the Adventurer’s Guild uses that standard heavily for all classes, but especially casters. Usually we don’t bother with classes that are based along other lines, but in this circumstance…I can confirm that you’re a caster, from one of the divine classes, and below a level 5 on the scale. Is that correct?”

  “Err…yes. Did I do something wrong? I didn’t see anybody else being checked”

  He glanced back and saw quite a few curious stares from others in line.

  “No no! Casters are just fairly rare at low levels in Adventurer Guilds, since they require innate talent or specific education. Usually they enter via recommendation, often at higher ranks. Since they generally belong to some sort of institution, there are special intakes. But healers are very, very valuable, especially at the moment. We were waiting to run the next Sanctioning Job until we had a healer available, but they’re in high demand right now…with you here, we can probably run one immediately!”

  Cedric felt his heart lift at that. “Can I sign up for the Sanctioning job now?”

  The Receptionist gave him a toothy grin.