Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Adventurer’s Guild (Part 1)

The Hero Became a Mousegirl
Chapter 10: The Adventurer’s Guild (Part 1)

 

“You lied to me,” I mumbled holding my stuffed rabbit above me in bed. 

“Would you happen to be speaking to me Caelan? Or do you have some kind of ability that allows you to speak with your toys?” 

“I’m talking to you Eyrina,” I answered as my cheeks heated. “I just… was looking at the bunny at the same time.” 

“For moral support? You’re relentlessly adorable Caelan.” 

“Don’t change the topic! You said you were trapped in the audience room.”

“If you raise your voice like that Myra will come charging in. You wouldn’t want that would you?”

“No,” I huffed trying to whisper. “Please answer my question.” 

“Alright Caelan, I’ll answer you. It was no lie that during the years you were gone from this world I was trapped in that room. I made peace with my imprisonment during that time. When you returned to this world, I believed nothing would change. I was wrong. The moment you stepped through the doors, you broke my chains. I rushed after you, but decided I would have more fun haunting you in secret than revealing myself.” 

“More fun?”

“You wouldn’t have put on such a cute show after wearing your first dress if you knew I was here.” 

“Ah,” My face heated. Twisting in bed I buried my face in a pillow, clutching my stuffed rabbit tight against my chest.

“So cute!” 

“Shut up.” 

I remained buried in my pillows until my door opened and Myra came rushing in. “Aww, you’re not naked today!” Myra pouted as she yanked my blankets away. 

“Of course I’m not naked!  I don’t want to go through that embarrassment twice.” 

“But it couldn’t have been comfortable to sleep in that dress,” Myra giggled. “I know you like it Caelan but you should change into pajamas when you sleep.” 

“I don’t have pajamas.” 

“That’s right!” Myra clapped. “After we register you with the guild today, we’ll do some shopping.” 

“I thought you were going to teach me how to use my pistol after we were done with the guild?” 

“Hmm, true. We’ll get clothes once we get back from that. Anyway, I picked another dress out for you to wear today!” 

“Eh?!” 

“I’ll go get it right now, so get out of bed!  There will be no sleepyheads in this household!” 

“Alright, Alright, I understand.” 

Sitting up on the edge of my bed I watched as Myra bolted from my room. A few breaths later she returned with a pastel blue dress, similar to the color of her hair, accented with white ribbons. “Can I help you put it on?” 

“Err… no?”

“Please,” Myra pouted.

“You just want to see me naked.”

“We’re sisters,” Myra grinned. “It’s normal for sisters to see each other naked.” 

“We’ve been sisters for two days, it’s not normal for relationships to advance this quickly.” 

“Nothing about me is normal! And I bet nothing about you is normal either Caelan! So let’s not worry about that.” 

“So I should let you see me naked because it is normal? But not fret over how fast our relationship is developing despite that being the normal thing to do? You’re just cherrypicking any argument that’ll help your case.” 

Myra frowned and held her chin, directing a contemplative gaze at the ground. An uncomfortable silence fell between us and then Myra looked up at me, “Would it help if I let you see me naked first?”

“I don’t want to see you naked!” I growled snatching the dress out of her hands. “And I don’t want you to see me naked either, so please wait for me downstairs.” 

“Aww fine,” Myra pouted. “Maybe if you get dirty today I could talk you into taking a bath with me?” 

“No.” 

“Grr, you’re being such a prude!”

“And you’re being a nuisance!” 

Pouting, Myra stuck her tongue out at me before finally stomping out of my room. I watched her go, waiting until she closed the door behind herself to start undressing. “That girl makes my head hurt, are you certain the scepter’s magic isn’t affecting her, Eyrina?” 

“There’s not even a tiny trace of the scepter’s magic anywhere near Myra. You’ll just have to come to terms with the fact that your older sister is a bit of an eccentric girl.” 

“Eccentric hardly feels like a strong enough term to describe her.” 

“And yet, you’re smiling Caelan.”

“I am not smiling!” I grumbled covering my mouth with my hand. 

“Poor little Caelan, loves to be doted on, and yet hates to admit it.” 

“I’m already regretting our contract.” 

“So harsh.”

Pulling the pastel blue dress over my head, I checked to be sure I hadn’t folded the skirt around my tail, and then headed downstairs. At the base of the stairs, Myra sat on a small bench looking up at me with a frown that wasn’t reflected in her eyes. It was obvious that she was trying to make me feel bad as a means of teasing me, and I refused to give in. 

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“Did you have trouble getting dressed?” Myra grumbled.

“Nope. I was able to cloth myself quite easily.” 

“Your ribbon is crooked.” Hopping off her bench Myra fiddled with one of the ribbons on my dress and then backed away. “Ready?” 

“Ready.” 

Donning her illusory cloak, Myra grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind her out of the house. She traveled along the route we’d taken previously, before turning in the opposite direction of the merchant district we’d visited. From there we traveled through a section of the city that seemed to be a mixture of boutique businesses, restaurants, and the homes of wealthy commoners. Myra finally came to a stop in front of a large three-story brick and stone building with a pair of massive spires on either side of it. If I hadn’t been told that the gods had abandoned this place, I would’ve believed it was a temple.

“You’re going to have to take a test,” Myra noted matter-of-factly as she gazed at the building. “If you pass they’ll ask if you want to be contracted or freelance.” 

“Is there a benefit to one over the other?”

“Contracted pays better, but you’d be an employee of the guild at that point. If they need you to go to another city, you go, like it or not. Freelance lets you work at your own pace, however and wherever you want. Of course contracted members get first pick of new quests, but still… you have to pick freelance Caelan. I don’t want them to take you away from us.” 

“Couldn’t I pick contracted and then switch to freelance if they try to transfer me somewhere else?” 

Myra shook her head. “It’s not impossible, but you’d have to pay a heavy penalty to the guild, or risk being blacklisted. Better to just pick freelance and be happy with what you have. We’re not hurting for money, you don’t have to push yourself to earn as much as possible.” 

“Alright, freelance it is. Anything else I need to know?”

“Nope, I’m sure they’ll teach you what you need to know once you step inside. I’ve got something I want to collect, I’ll meet you in the lobby once you’re done registering.” 

“Wait, I’m going in alone?” 

“Yup,” Myra smiled. “As much as I would love to hold your hand, the other adventurers might look down on you if I did. Don’t worry Caelan, I know you’ll do fine.” 

“Thanks,” I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. After taking a couple of steps toward the guild a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind.

Nuzzling her chin into my shoulder Myra whispered, “Love you little sis.” 

“Seriously,” My cheeks heated. “It’s only been a couple of days. But fine... I lo—, umm, I care for you too.” 

“Teehee, so cute,” Grinning broadly enough that even her cloak couldn’t conceal it Myra twirled away from me. With a single thumbs up in my direction she took off down the street, leaving me alone before the massive guild building. 

Taking the stone steps before the guild building slowly one by one, I watched as other young warriors came and went. None of them looked to be stronger than me, and they were all inferior compared to Kaphis. That gave me a bit of confidence, that here, as was the case in my previous life, I would stand above the others. As hero, I’d never questioned my strength, but now it was hard not to. Though I felt I’d improved in many ways, I was still a shadow of my former self when it came to combat potential. 

Pushing open one of the large double doors that served as entryways into the guild I stepped inside. Within the doors I found myself in a massive common room. There were maps all over the walls, tables where many congregated, and even a small merchant corner where potions and other necessities were being sold. At the rear of the room, were a handful of granite tables, behind which individuals dressed like gaudy bureaucrats sat. A man sitting behind a small podium placed before the granite tables would call out names, and the individuals called would walk up to any available table and sit down. Then they would begin discussing their business with that table’s resident bureaucrat. 

“Excuse me,” I called to the man seated at the podium. “I’m here to register for the guild.” 

“Name?” 

“Caelan Kubarev.” 

The man dipped a quill in his ink well and jotted down my name. “Take a seat in the common area. I’ll call your name when it is your turn.” 

“Thanks,” Turning away from the man I made my way back to the regular tables and sat down at the first one I found unoccupied. I’d intended to stay away from the others, since I’d be doing my guild work with Myra. Given her rare physiology I assumed she made a point of avoiding the other adventurers. Unfortunately given how I was dressed, I found myself attracting the worst kind of attention. 

“Well, well, a beautiful princess has graced us with her presence,” A young man with a messy mop of auburn hair said, sitting down beside me. Two other young men, a rotund brunette, and a scrawny one who’d shaved off all his hair, followed his lead and sat down at my table as well. “Name’s Jiri, these are my friends Dieter and Elwin. What’s your name, cutie?” 

“Caelan.” 

“Caelan, that’s a very cute name, for a very cute girl. What brings you into the guild today? Looking to place a request for some guards? The three of us are quite talented you see, we’d be happy to take your quest as soon as it’s posted.” 

“Actually,” I stifled the sigh in my chest and forced myself to smile. “I’m here to register.”

“To register, as an adventurer?” Jiri raised his eyebrows. “This is dangerous work, but I respect you trying to do it. Grasping the world with your own two hands, making your mark on history. You know, there’s a lot to learn about being an adventurer that the guild doesn’t just come out and tell you. We’ve been doing this work for a while, we could take you under our wing. How about it Caelan, want to join our party after you get registered?” 

“I’d rather not, I’m planning to join my older sister’s party.” 

“Your older sister,” Jiri frowned. “Who’s your older sister? I don’t want to be rude to your family Caelan, but if she’s a greenhorn, she’s not going to be able to help you like we could. This is a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a group of masters. You wouldn’t want to squander this opportunity.” 

“Really full of himself isn’t he?” Eyrina giggled inside my head. “Oh! What luck, here comes another one.” 

Before I could even reply to Jiri’s ridiculous proposal another man approached us. As opposed to Jiri and his goons who all looked like commoners in cheap armor, the man who approached us was dressed in a flashy suit. The newcomer was short, with a messy mop of brown hair, and a pair of twitching cat ears atop his head. In lieu of a weapon, he carried a cane that gave off a faintly magical aura.

“Milady,” The newcomer dropped to one knee and held out a gloved hand before me. “Are these three harassing you? Perhaps you could join me, I’m certain I could provide you with more civilized company.” 

“Fuck off Zeke,” Jiri growled, glaring daggers in the cat’s direction. “Caelan was talking to us first.” 

“Oh?” Zeke chuckled and raised an eyebrow in amusement towards Jiri. “From my perspective, it seemed as if you were doing little more than harassing the poor girl. Look at her shoulders, see how stiff they are? Her body language is telegraphing her discomfort quite clearly. The fact that you couldn’t notice that reflects poorly on your abilities as a man.” 

“She wasn’t uncomfortable until you arrived!” 

“I wasn’t planning to approach her until after her business concluded. It was only because she looked uncomfortable that I’m here now.” 

“Caelan,” Jiri turned to me. “Tell Zeke the truth. You were comfortable until he arrived weren’t you?” 

“Eh?!” With Jiri and Zeke both gazing at me with such intensity I felt as if I was in the command tents of a forward battalion. The senior officers crowding around me, desperately pleading for my wisdom as the hero to guide them to victory. It made beads of sweat form on my forehead while the rest of me felt a deathly chill. “I–“

“Caelan Kubarev!” 

As soon as I heard my name shouted by the podium man I leapt to my feet and speed-walked to the granite tables. Meanwhile, behind me I could hear someone throwing a fit, swearing his name should’ve been called first. He was probably right, but I wasn’t about to give up this opportunity to get away from Jiri and Zeke. 

“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild of Belstow,” An elderly human woman said to me with a genial smile as I sat down at her table. “I am Maria, I shall be your guild representative for today. How may I assist you, Miss Kubarev?” 

“I’d like to register as an adventurer.” 

“Is that so?” Maria looked surprised as she stood up from her chair. “Please follow me, we do new enrollment in the back.” 

With a sigh I stood up from the chair I’d just taken a seat in and followed after Maria. 

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