Touch of Fate

Mike located the Rank 3 section of the counter, saw that both windows had roughly similar lines, and picked one at random to stand in. He was contemplating what to ask about, when a massive hand, the size of a dinner plate landed on his shoulder.

"I think you are lost, boy. This line is for Iron Ranked adventurers. Newbies like you belong in the beginner lines down there." A deep, rumbling voice growled from behind him.

Mike looked down at the large, hairy hand and followed it up the attached arm into the face of a brutish looking man, seemingly built on a larger than normal scale. He stood roughly 2.5m tall and was built like a brick wall. Solid slabs of muscle could be seen bulging out of his simple linen shirt. Two other men of similar size and features were standing behind him. Judging from the similarity, Mike figured they must be related. If this trio were to show up in Mike's old world, they could easily be mistaken for professional American Football players.

"So you best be heading that way."

For a brief moment, he considered his options. If he hadn't fought a monstrous bat monster just a few days ago, he'd probably would have been intimidated by the display. As it was now, he was just a bit annoyed. [I know this is the standard plot line when the main character enters an Adventurer's Guild, but I'd like to not stand out so much.] While he was deliberating, he saw the friendly guard, Talin, moving over quickly and decided that he would rather solve this issue peacefully.

"Not to worry, fellow guild members. I'm actually Rank 3 as well." He said while prompting his guild mark to display his profile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Name: Michael Rasmussen

Class: (Hidden)

Guild Rank: Rank 3 (Iron)

Title: None

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The giant of a man stared at the projected screen for a moment, before growling again and letting go of Mike's shoulder. Mike was glad Morris finally showed him the way to hide his class.

"My bad, thought you were a jumped-up newbie who didn't know any better." The man broke into a vicious grin. "You got to watch out for them or they'll do something stupid and get themselves killed."

"Anyway, the name's Berg, these are my brothers Garm and Telg." The other two nodded their greetings.

"You can call me Mike." He figured that they seemed to appreciate single syllable names.

Berg grinned again, "Well Mike, we'll be seeing ya around." The trio left through the front door, passing by a relieved looking Talin.

[I feel like I'm in the wrong genre of story somehow. None of the cliché plots I've encountered so far pan out the way they are supposed to.] Mike thought to himself while standing in line. After a short wait, Mike found himself standing in front of a pretty brunette receptionist who smiled cheerfully at him.

"Welcome to the Wyrport Adventurer's Guild. How can I help you?"

"Ah, yes the door guard actually recommended that I come over here and check in. It's my first time at this guild branch."

Mike noticed a slight blush creep onto the woman's face as his enhanced charisma went to work.

"Well, are you familiar with basic guild procedures?"

"To some extent, I completed a request in the past, but it was at a small branch office."

"Fundamentally it should be similar. At this branch all requests of Rank 8 and below are posted on these boards. Adventurers and parties interested in a particular request register their acceptance of it here. Once complete, they check back in to receive their reward and update their guild ranking if necessary."

"Seems straightforward enough." Mike answered with a grin.

The woman giggled slightly before continuing, "If you look over to your left, you'll see the guild sponsored stores where you can purchase equipment and sell materials you collect from monsters.

To your right is the guild bar. The have regular events and competitions here, and local musicians frequently perform at night. If you need a place to stay in town, there is simple inn located on the next floor. You can inquire at the bar if you need it."

The receptionist gestured to a familiar looking box-shaped device with a black colored stone mounted on it. "If you'd be so kind as to place your hand here, I'll check you in and have you associated with our branch."

Mike did so, and watched as his guild mark flashed once before returning to normal. The receptionist glanced down at a small display before continuing. "Since you've only completed one request so far, it's recommended that you attend our orientation session where they explain the basics of adventuring in Wyrport. However, as a Rank 3 adventurer, you are already considered seasoned enough to skip it if you choose to."

"No, that actually sounds good. When is the next session?"

She smiled again, "You're in luck. We're actually having one tomorrow morning. Just come by then and ask one of the receptionists and they will be able to point you in the right direction."

"Alright, thanks!" He said with a wave, before heading out the door. He'd kept Morris waiting long enough. "Your welcome. My name is Michelle, make sure to come back and see me again!"

After rejoining Morris, the pair decided to head back to the inn to rest and recuperate. Mike decided that getting a decent set of equipment could wait until after he had gone through orientation. He planned to ask for recommendations from the instructors.

The next morning Mike headed back to the guild, while Morris went on his way, job hunting.

The guild was a little quieter in the early morning, but there was already a large number of adventurer's lining up to take requests. Mike figured that the requests must be posted in the morning, so ambitious types probably got here first thing, in order to pick the best ones.

After talking to a different receptionist, since he didn't see Michelle this morning, Mike was directed through a nearby doorway. It led to a small waiting room lined with simple benches.

Two young looking humans, a boy and a girl, were sitting next to each other on one side. Mike figured that they were siblings, maybe even twins, and were about the same age as him. They were both dressed in simple cloth armor. The boy was carrying a basic spear, while the girl had a short bow and some arrows.

Since he hadn't received any real directions, he took a seat across from them. They looked at him nervously, but otherwise remained silent. This suited Mike fine, and he leaned back against the wall and waited for the session to start.

Over the next hour or so, four other participants filtered in. First was a tall, slender youth with long black hair that covered his eyes. He was dressed in simple work cloths, and if not for the multiple daggers he wore on his person, he could have been mistaken for a common laborer.

Next was another pairing. This time, Mike was pleasantly surprised to see an elegant elf woman walk in first. She was pale skinned with silky blonde hair. A refined green tunic and skirt covered her slender frame, but she carried no obvious weapons. Behind her was a tall, armored figure in a closed-face helm. Not a speck of skin was visible. The elf spared a glance at Mike before taking a seat in the corner. The armored figure followed suit.

The last to join was a friendly looking young man with brown dog ears. He was dressed in basic leather armor, and had a two-handed sword strapped to his back. He was also the first to break the silence of the room. "I hope I'm not too late. I overslept a bit and didn't even get a chance to eat breakfast." He said with a grin.

Before any of the people in the room could answer, a cold voice rang out from behind the beastman. "Do not be concerned, you are right on time. However, in the future you will want to start planning accordingly. Late adventurers are dead adventurers."

Pushing past the befuddled youth was a short, stocky middle aged woman entered the room, and announced. "I am Philomena, some know me as the Shadow's Sting. I am a Rank 5 adventurer, and the instructor of today's class." She wore a chain mail shirt under a simple, black tunic. A pair of deadly looking axes were resting on her belt, and she carried a longbow in one hand. Numerous scars were visible on her face and shaven scalp.

"You have come here in order to learn the vital skills necessary to survive in our line of work. If you pay attention now, and remember the lessons you learn in this session, it will increase your chance of living." She strode to the center of the room and took up a confident stance. "Today we will be entering the first layer of the Wyrport dungeon."

Mike felt his heartbeat quicken in excitement and anticipation.

"There are several things you will need to know, but first I'd like to have some idea of who we are working with. Starting with you," she motioned to the slender, black haired youth, "tell us your name, rank, and a brief description of your abilities."

[Great. Self-introductions, I guess this world isn't free of them either.] Mike thought regretfully, recalling painful experiences from his past life.