The Guild Hall was nothing like an administrative building at first. It had a light stone facade, high arches, banners bearing symbols rather than names, and aisles wide enough for carts loaded with crates to pass through without anyone having to move out of the way. Inside, everything exuded the same idea as the guilds' entrance: here, danger had logistics.
At the main counter, a young woman in a plain uniform looked up, then her gaze immediately slid to the sealed envelope Rin was holding.
"Hello, how can I help you?" she said.
Rin placed the envelope on the counter, not gently, as if issuing a challenge.
The clerk took the envelope between two fingers, looked at the seal, and her expression changed slightly. Just the seriousness of someone who has just recognized a priority.
"One moment," she said. "I'll call someone. Please wait here."
She disappeared behind a side door, envelope in hand.
Kai had already spotted the quest bulletin board in the reception area. A large dark wooden panel, covered with pinned sheets, sorted by color and date. Short lines, rewards written in large print, and details in small print.
They approached. The first contract was to clean a cellar infested with rats. Reward: 50 kriars.
"Fifty?" Rin read.
Further down: escort a merchant to the nearby village. 80 kriars.
Gather herbs in the suburbs. 40 kriars.
Repair a fence after a herd has passed through. 30 kriars.
Kai frowned. "That's... nothing."
"It's enough to eat and sleep," Rin replied sourly. "Then you come back the next day begging for another one."
Kai scanned the board. Nothing paid more than a centiar. And the few jobs that did pay a centiar smacked of a trap, the kind where someone forgets to mention there's a monster at the end.
People waited around them. Pairs, trios, individuals. Some stared at the board like starving people looking at a shop window. Others looked mainly at the doors, hoping that something better would come out before it was posted.
Rin crossed her arms. "That's the big city. You don't even have the right to be poor with dignity."
Kai was about to reply when a presence was felt, not through mana, but through movement.
A woman was descending the stairs from the upper floor, accompanied by an assistant carrying a tablet and a briefcase. She walked forward and the entire Hall naturally parted. It wasn't spectacular. No one bowed. But many heads turned. A discreet murmur circulated, then died away immediately, as if respect here was best expressed in silence.
She was a bit older than them, just enough to show in the steadiness of her movements. Tall without being imposing, slender but sure-footed. Her hair was a warm auburn, brushed back in a simple style, with a few soft strands catching the light as she walked. She wore an elegant, understated outfit in fine fabric, refined more by its fit than by any ornament. Except for the small emblem pinned high on her chest: a golden fang.
The woman arrived in front of them with a calm smile.
"Rin. Kai." She pronounced their names without hesitation. "I am Fenna. I manage Gilded Fang's Elronde office."
Rin blinked once. Then twice.
"Ah." She looked at the emblem. Looked at the smile. Looked at the fact that they weren't being treated like walking merchandise for once.
Then she whispered to Kai, "Miss Ray talked about us."
Kai ignored her and bowed slightly out of reflex. Nothing theatrical. Just enough to remain polite.
Fenna held up the envelope in her hand, unsealed. "I was given this. Thank you for coming."
Rin tilted her head. "You came down here in person for a piece of paper?"
Fenna smiled without taking offense. "It's my job, after all."
She pointed to the staircase on the upper floor. "Come. We'll be more comfortable up there."
Kai saw the looks on the others' faces. He hated that, being the center of attention.
"We're coming," he said curtly.
They went upstairs. The floor wasn't luxurious, but it was designed for conversations that people didn't want to have in noisy surroundings. A reception room, armchairs, a coffee table, thick curtains that blocked out the commotion below. The assistant opened a door and stepped aside.
Fenna sat down first, not to dominate, but to set the pace. "Please, have a seat."
Rin let herself fall into the armchair. Kai, on the other hand, sat down cautiously, his back straight and his gaze attentive.
Fenna placed the envelope on the table. "First of all, I want to congratulate you. The camp recruiter sent me a message. It was brief, but... quite clear. Mutation at Verdant Cradle. Reinforced boss. A duo, a fire mage and a chain user, who defeated the Matriarch and brought out two survivors."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "He was talkative."
"Rumors are fast, especially when people are scared," Fenna replied, without sarcasm. "I prefer facts. This letter is a start."
She placed her hands together. "I'm not here to force you into anything. I'll say this clearly. Gilded Fang paid for your room because you were injured, and because... yes, we're interested in you. But if you don't want to sign, you won't sign anything."
Rin blurted out. "So what's the catch, Lady Fang?"
After speaking, Rin's face changed subtly. Kai could see it anyway. First, a hint of shock marked her face, then it relaxed.
Fenna gave a small, almost sad smile. "I'm sorry that's the first impression we give."
Kai watched Fenna. She wasn't pretending. Or if she was, she was very good at it, but it didn't have the usual texture of low-level recruiters. There was something... clean about her. In her posture, in her words. In the way she accepted being suspected.
Fenna continued, "In recent years, the guilds have abused their power. Unfair contracts. Debt. Pressure on the survivors of Renewal. I imagine you've heard stories."
Rin smiled without joy. "Who isn't aware..."
Kai looked at her, as if to remind her that he wasn't.
Fenna nodded, without asking any more questions. "So you understand why I'm doing things differently. Because image matters. And because if we don't change, we'll end up with the consequences."
Rin was about to reply, then stopped herself. She was still on the defensive, but her aggression had lost some of its fuel. Because attacking someone who is sincere requires more energy.
Fenna gestured toward the door. "Tea?"
Rin blinked. "Tea."
"Gladly," Kai replied, trying his best to hide his discomfort.
A new assistant entered the living room, tray in hand. He placed empty cups for everyone, as well as a small plate filled with a few sweets, each of which seemed worth more than the contracts posted on the board.
Fenna let the assistant leave. Then she took out a notebook and a pen.
"Feel free to eat during the registration," she said, looking at Kai. "Do you have a full name to declare?"
"Kai," he said simply.
Fenna didn't press him. She wrote it down. "And you, Miss Rin?"
Rin had already grabbed a cookie, almost drooling as she looked at it. She answered without even looking up from her prey. "Just Rin."
Fenna wrote it down. "Origin to declare?"
Kai took a breath. "Solene."
Rin answered between bites, sending a few crumbs onto the chair. "Renewal."
Kai lowered his head slightly in shame.
Fenna noted and continued, neutrally: "Renewal status. Duo confirmed. Estimated release date: yesterday. Injuries treated at camp. Is that correct?"
Kai's eyes widened as he watched her writing. "Yes."
The assistant returned with the tea and filled the cups one by one, finishing with Fenna.
Rin stared at the tea. Then she stared at Fenna. Kai took a cup. The warmth felt good.
Fenna resumed the registration, asking useful questions. Nothing intrusive. Health status, intention to register as adventurers, and above all: voluntary declaration of Skills.
"I advise you to declare at least what will avoid misunderstandings at the gates," she said.
Kai replied calmly, "Fire Magic. Materialization."
Rin added, "Chain Dancer and Lightning Enchantment."
Fenna noted this without batting an eye. She didn't ask for an explanation or even proof. She didn't judge their choices.
At one point, Rin set down her cup with a surprising mixture of delicacy and aggression.
"You're too polite," she blurted out.
Kai almost choked on his tea.
Fenna tilted her head. "Is that a criticism?"
Rin thought about it, as if the concept annoyed her. "No. It's... suspicious."
Fenna accepted this as one accepts rain. "I understand."
When Fenna seemed to pause in filling out the document, Kai finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind.
"Do you know Solene? You wrote it down naturally, you know where it is?"
"Of course," she replied. "It's not that unusual for a Renewal to come from there. If I'm not mistaken, that city is located in the far west of the continent. However, if you'd like more details, I'll have to charge you."
Kai smiled slightly. For him, it was like confirmation that he was indeed part of the same world. He was satisfied with that.
She picked up the letter again to continue.
"As for your rank, we'll have to wait for the report on the Verdant Cradle mutation to come back to confirm it. In the meantime, you can still do the general quests."
Rin replied. "General quests? The ones on the board downstairs? No thanks, they're terrible."
Fenna nodded. "The general board is all that's left."
Rin crossed her arms. "So there are no good contracts?"
"There are," Fenna corrected.
"It just doesn't last. Each guild reserves the best quests for its members first. It only comes up once the reservation period has expired or when they are urgent. But you must have seen for yourselves, the groups wait here, like birds on a tree, and as soon as a contract comes in, it's taken before the ink even dries."
Rin frowned. "So we have to stand in front of the board all day?"
"If you refuse all guild contracts, yes. Or you take the low-level missions and slowly work your way up."
Kai felt Rin tense up, ready to reject the very principle of the system.
Fenna put down her pen. "And I'll be honest. I don't intend to recruit you today."
Rin blinked. "Huh?"
"I intend to make you an offer," Fenna continued, "but not to finalize it. Not until I have a full official report on the mutation. You understand that... a Renewal dungeon changing rank is not a minor detail."
Kai nodded. "So you're waiting for the report?"
"Exactly."
She took a breath, then added, "And that's just it. A caravan is leaving before nightfall to ensure the camp's rotation. And, most importantly, it will return with the recruiter on site, as well as the scribe and his report."
Rin sat up straighter. "And?"
Fenna finally picked up her cup of tea.
"Normally, the escort is handled by the guild. But I can make an exception. Out of goodwill. And because, yes, it suits me that you return at the same time as this report."
Kai remained silent. So did Rin.
Fenna looked at them, without pressure.
"This is not a contract," she clarified. "Not a commitment. A simple mission, on a known route, with a structured caravan. You escort it to the camp, you sleep on site, and you escort it back. And then, if you wish, we'll talk again."
Rin opened her mouth, ready to say no on principle.
Kai put down his cup. "How much?"
Fenna smiled, as if relieved to hear a pragmatic question.
"One centiar, plus meals and lodging, which will be included on site," she said.
"Only one?" Rin repeated.
Fenna nodded. "That's the price for the road, the time, and the risk. You'll be back tomorrow at noon, having eaten and slept. That's already better than most of the contracts on the board."
Rin stared at Kai, then Fenna, then the tea, as if she didn't know where to place her mistrust.
Fenna smiled sincerely. "It's just a proposal. If you don't want to, this mission will go to the members of my guild."
Kai felt the fatigue returning, but with direction and choice. He looked at Rin. Rin looked at him.
"We'll think about it," Kai said.
Fenna nodded. "Very well. The caravan will leave before nightfall. If you accept, report to the southwest depot within an hour. Ask for the Verdant Cradle camp convoy."
She stood up, without rushing, and handed them a small card with a discreet seal, proof of their invitation. Rin took it as if it weighed more than it should.
Fenna gave them one last smile, then left. When the door closed, silence filled the room.
Rin stared at the card, then sighed, as if it had taken something from her.
"She really seems... honest."
Kai replied, lucidly, "Yes."
Rin clenched her fists and punched the air. "Ugh, this is annoying!"
Kai chuckled. "We have an hour to eat, right?"
Rin clutched the card between her fingers. "Within an hour..."