The First Mage

Upon laying eyes on the intruder, Taul sprang to his feet. He grabbed his spear and immediately leveled it at Emeryn as she emerged from her hiding place. While it wasn’t the first time someone from Alarna found their way to our camp, seeing someone we hadn’t interacted with much before was troubling.

“Don’t move!” Taul shouted.

Emeryn, undeterred by his aggressive stance, greeted us cheerfully. “Hi, Taul! Good morning, everyone!”

I spun around, my senses on high alert as I scanned our surroundings warily. It was possible this was an ambush. I cursed the irony of having just dismissed such potential danger and braced myself for a fight. The bundle of joy that stumbled into our camp claimed this to be unnecessary though.

“Hm?” Emeryn looked at me curiously. Sensing my unease, she giggled nervously. “Oh! Don’t worry, there’s nobody else here. I’m alone.”

Her words offered little reassurance, though I didn’t get the impression that she was lying. “Hati?” I asked, prompting him for an assessment.

It seemed that he wasn’t concerned in the least. In fact, he hadn’t even moved an inch since she appeared. Opening one sleepy eye, he glanced in our direction and muttered only, “True,” before resuming his rest.

I rolled my eyes at his lax attitude. “You could at least pretend that you’re on guard, you know?” I said in exasperation.

But Hati was already drifting off again, his speech slurred. “No... tired," he mumbled.

I sighed and exchanged a look with Riala. She appeared more curious than worried, making Taul the only one who remained steadfast in his wariness. Though this was technically his duty as a guard.

“Your name was Emeryn, right?” I asked as I turned back towards our guest. “What are you doing here?”

Her face lit up with excitement. “I came to join you guys! I’m glad I finally found you. I was lost for—like—an entire day!”

Momentarily lost for words, I watched her glance around the clearing curiously, trying to gauge whether we could take her at her word.

“But now I’m here!” she exclaimed. “And this guild thing sounds like so much fun!”

“You listened in?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emeryn smiled innocently as she responded. “A little bit.”

I felt foolish at that moment, having acted nonchalant in front of Taul, downplaying the potential dangers of assassins. I didn’t take the dangers of agents into consideration, who were essentially trained spies. Although something didn’t quite match up.

I squinted in suspicion. “How did you manage to get this close to us without anyone noticing?”

She wasn’t an agent, but a guard. I had seen her during her job, and she wore her chainmail and leather armor even now. Perhaps I was starting to fall into the trap of putting people into boxes, but I had yet to see a guard who was as agile and sneaky as an agent.

Emeryn shrugged. “I’m good at moving quietly,” she teased. “Actually, I should’ve become an agent, but that seemed boring. Unfortunately I never got to really fight beasts as a guard either.”

“Huh.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say. “So, in summary, you’re an agent who became a guard to get some action and fight beasts, and when that didn’t work out you decided to leave Alarna?”

“Yepp!” she chimed.

I was surrounded by Fighters who told me they had their doubts about people being willing to come out here, and yet, Emeryn had done just that. Further, if she had been out here for a day already, she left before we advertised the Guild, motivated by a desire for excitement alone. She was a perfect adventurer candidate.

“Taul, at ease,” I said firmly.

He hesitated for a moment, his grip on his spear loosening only slightly, but he finally complied and lowered his weapon. Emeryn lowered her arms in turn and took a confident step forward.

I motioned for her to take a seat at the campfire. As she settled down, I took a seat myself, keeping a safe distance between us. Riala, not wanting to miss anything, climbed up onto the bench next to me, her eyes fixed on Emeryn. Taul meanwhile took up a position by my side, ready to intervene should she try anything.

Studying Emeryn’s face carefully, I looked into her bright, curious eyes, but I couldn’t find even a hint of unease or ill intent. Her story seemed to check out as well. Thinking back to our first encounter, I remembered her first words to me as Lilly, when she expressed her desire for a more interesting job. Now she had taken matters into her own hands.

Still, there was one more thing that I couldn't help but wonder about. “Tell me, what was your exact plan when you left?”

“I thought I could join you,” she said with a grin. “You’re probably seeing a lot more beasts out here, and you already took on other agents. Though I didn’t know about the guards! I’m quite surprised to see you here, Taul.”

Her enthusiasm made me chuckle. I threw a cursory glance Taul’s way, but he stayed silent and didn’t otherwise react. The part of the stoic and cautious guard he had down pat.

“At least I know who was with you in Alarna two nights ago now! I was wondering about that.”

I was taken by surprise. “Two nights ago?” In an attempt to feign ignorance, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean how you killed High Priest Orthur of course!” she said, clapping her hands together with glee. “The way you snuck in there! And that pillar of water, stretching to the heavens! It was incredible! Can you believe I was about to turn around and go home when I spotted you? And then you even showed me a way out of town. Lucky~”

I stared at her in disbelief. She had watched us without anyone noticing even before today, and at a time when we were on high alert no less. It was an impressive feat, and she could’ve stayed hidden for even longer, weren’t it for Riala’s new trick.

Guess there’s no point denying it, I thought. “You would’ve made one hell of an agent,” I remarked, though my expression was stern. “But why didn't you approach us earlier if you’ve been tailing us all this time?”

Emeryn shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. “Eh... No particular reason.”

I wasn't satisfied with her evasive response. “I’m afraid I must insist if you want me to trust you.”

She became very quiet, going from bubbly and talkative to reserved in a matter of seconds. There seemed to be more to it than she was letting on. I watched her carefully, trying to read her expressions and body language for any signs of deception.

“Uhm... Well... If you must know, I like to observe people before I approach them,” she muttered, hurriedly following up with, “To be safe, you know? It helps me understand who I’m dealing with.”

I was skeptical about the song and dance, but decided to let it slide for now. “Okay... Fair enough,” I said with a shrug, though she seemed relieved that I accepted her reasoning.

Don’t tell me... Or is she...? Meh, whatever. Doesn’t matter.

I posed one last question. “Out of curiosity, what’s your plan in case I decline your request to join us?”

“I didn’t really think about it to be honest. But you wouldn’t say no, would you?” she said, full of confidence.

“Actually, I don’t intend to invite any more people into our group for the moment. I have too many to take care of for my liking already.”

This wasn’t the whole truth, but I wanted to hear her response. Her lips twisted into a grimace for the first time, though her expression brightened up again in a heartbeat.

“Oh well, I’ll have to search for some action on my own then. But I can be a part of this thing you’re building here, right?”

As Emeryn and I talked, it became more and more obvious that she was a born adventurer. She was unburdened by the weight of the world, and her eagerness to get her hands dirty was unquenchable. Fearless, she exuded an air of confidence that was infectious. Whether her keenness would survive an encounter with a powerful beast was left to be seen, but at that moment, she was perfect for our new organization. There was but one problem: I had no idea what to do with her.

While we had advertised the Guild in Alarna already, we hadn’t anticipated anyone to come here for at least a few more days, if at all. There was not a chance in hell the king would allow anyone to leave immediately, and we had factored that time in. Basically, we weren’t actually prepared for business yet.

“Tell me more about the Guild!” Emeryn said eagerly as we continued, her eyes gleaming with an eagerness to learn more. “I don’t need to join you, do I have that right? I can just hunt beasts and bring them to you?”

“That’s the idea, yes.”

“Actually, that’s even better! I don’t need to go rogue again if this turns out to be boring as well!”

Her words elicited a smirk from me, and I figured it didn’t matter whether we were ready or not. We’d make this work, one way or another. “Alright,” I said. “We didn’t expect any members this soon, so please bear with us if things are a bit improvised for the time being.”

Emeryn was overjoyed and listened intently as I began to explain how the Guild was going to operate. Out here, everybody was going to be their own person, and nobody would tell you what to do, as long as your actions didn’t endanger anyone or interfere with guild business. I informed her that she was free to try her luck alone, but the Guild could provide board and lodging for a price. To earn money, you could check the job board (as soon as it was built) and we would also provide support for our members, such as training, equipment, banking, or information (as soon as we set up all of it).

However, the perks we provided came at a cost. To enjoy them, people were required to have an active membership license, which would require a monthly fee. It was a give and take relationship.

I led Emeryn through the Guild’s planned operations, explaining each step in detail. She listened attentively, nodding along with a bright smile on her face, as if this was exactly what she had been searching for her entire life. When I finished, she clapped her hands and exclaimed, “I’m in!”

Without a moment's hesitation, she rummaged through her shoulder bag and thrust a wad of cash in my direction. “Here you go! Just take what you need from this. I’ll make up the difference in no time!” she said with a grin.

Blinking in surprise, I took the money from her and scrutinized it. At a glance, I could tell that it was several hundred Kira, if not more. She had used the banking service as intended, but her impulsive gesture made me question her sanity after all.

Despite my misgivings, we had gained our first member. Rising to my feet, I extended my hand to Emeryn, who grasped it tightly.

“Welcome to the Guild,” I declared.

“Thanks! Now, where can I find some beasts?” she asked eagerly.

I couldn’t help but feel some concern, and I hoped this wouldn’t end in disaster.