Julia followed Braden into the entry hall of the Adventurers Guild. The building was enormous—the largest structure she’d ever set foot in, though it wasn’t ostentatious. The first floor was carved stone, with two more floors of wood extending upward. Large chandeliers with magic lights that gave off a bright blue glow in the morning and shifted to a muted orange throughout the day hung from the ceiling.

  The entryway was a large hall that opened into the main room about 50 strides beyond. There was a large window with a counter set in it and three workers manning the desk. This was the place for general information, inquiries, and registrations with the Guild, where non-members interacted with the Guild. Beyond, into the main hall, would be separate counters for adventurer use.

  Julia’s destination for now was the general reception counter, so she followed Braden over. They had intentionally arrived mid-morning so that the crowd was smaller, and they didn’t have to wait in line. They approached the counter, and a young man smiled at them.

  “Greetings. Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. What can I do for you today?” he inquired politely.

  “Hi. We actually have a couple things to do. First, Julia here needs to register her tamed companion with the Guild. Second, I would like to sign her up for the apprentice program,” Braden replied. They had actually planned to register Trixy much earlier, but once sword practice started, Julia seldom left the house. So, it kept getting put off.

  “Sure. We can get those things taken care of pretty quickly, I think. Did you have an adventurer in mind to apprentice her under? We will need to make a formal request that requires said adventurer’s consent before she can be apprenticed. Depending on the specific adventurer’s availability, this could take a while.

  “Also, apprentices must be a minimum of 14 years old, so we will need to verify Miss Julia’s age when we do the documents,” the young man explained professionally.

  “Of course. The adventurer she will be apprenticed under is me. Although, there might be occasions where she will be partnered with Ravina Bladesworn. I have her written consent here on this form. I don’t envy you having to read her signature, though—it’s the worst set of scribbles I’ve ever seen,” Braden joked as he withdrew a scroll she hadn’t seen either Ravina or Braden with before.

  “Ah, yes. Miss Bladesworn is a promising up-and-coming adventurer. She would make an excellent mentor. May I have your Guild card, sir, to verify your identity before we move on to the documents, please?”

  Braden nodded and handed something over discreetly. He hid whatever it was in his hand, setting it on the desk and pushing it across until the gentleman took it.

  The man’s eyes went wide for a moment. He opened his mouth, but Braden raised a hand to stop him. “Let’s keep it all subdued, if you don’t mind. I like to lie low,” Braden said while smiling at him.

  The man gulped and nodded before getting up to put a stack of papers and what she assumed was Braden’s Guild card in a container that then went inside a glass tube. He seemed to fumble with the container a little—were his hands shaking?

  Julia was beginning to suspect there was more going on with Braden than just being a high Level. Striton was a fairly large city and a major trade hub. Would a professional of the Guild staff really react that way just because someone was a Grandmaster? As she was thinking this, the staff member rang a bell attached to the tube and the container…disappeared?

  Julia heard Braden chuckling at her surprise. “It’s a pneumatic tube. There’s a gentleman that works in the back and uses air magic to guide the container through the tubes. The bells attached to the various tubes transmit sound through them.

  “So, he hears a bell through one tube, guides the container to him with air magic to check its destination, then sends it off in the correct tube,” he explained.

  “Wait…you’ve said something like this before…uh…pressure…pressure differentials! I think!” Julia exclaimed—happy to have remembered.

  “That’s right! Pressure wants to equalize, so areas of higher pressure always move toward areas of lower pressure. The glass tube is a sealed environment with only the two ends letting air in and out.

  “So, if you block one end with the container and use air magic to pull air out the other end, that will create a lower pressure zone at that end, which will pull the container through the pipe, since the container has higher air pressure pushing it from behind toward the lower-pressure zone.”

  Julia nodded. Braden had briefly touched on air pressure gradients, but it had mostly gone over her head. She understood the core concept of high pressure moving to lower pressure, but it was difficult for her to visualize—air was invisible, after all. This tube was a great visual aid.

  Lost in her thoughts, she jumped a little when the container returned with a thump. The man behind the counter pulled the documents out and handed them to Braden. “Please follow me, and we will get you all sorted out and on your way,” he said.

  Braden and Julia followed him into the main hall—a huge room divided into three sections.

  There was the central section that the entry hall led into, which was the reception area. It had a row of counters with privacy dividers extending out of them. Probably so that adventurers could handle business in relative privacy even in the public space, Julia assumed.

  The second section was off to the left and contained a gigantic board with what must’ve been hundreds of quest notices attached. Well, there would have been a few hours ago. Right now the board was looking a little sparse. There were still some quests up, but most had been taken—perhaps around thirty-five percent were still waiting to be accepted.

  The third section, off to the right, was a bar. It had several circular tables scattered about, but also long, rectangular tables with benches in front for those who preferred a more communal drinking experience, along with stools placed right up against the bar. Julia questioned the wisdom of having access to alcohol in a place of work.

  Noticing her stare, Braden spoke up while they walked through the reception area of the main hall. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re not wrong. However, the reality is that many adventurers get their compensation and spend it on alcohol the same day. There’s a lot to be thankful for, after all, if you make it back from a job with your life.

  “These are also the adventurers most likely to be…uh…rowdy when drinking. Having the bar here helps ease the burden of rowdy adventurers fighting in taverns around the city. Also, if they pass out drunk here, they’re less likely to be robbed or anything similar.

  “There’s also a rotating list of barmen. People and businesses from around the city can sign up to run the bar for a month at a time. A person or business that’s made the list can only run the bar for a single month per year, so that means a total of 10 different businesses can run the bar each year.

  “This helps keep the Guild in touch with the city’s residents, brokers goodwill by keeping a large portion of rowdy adventurers here rather than in local taverns, and gives businesses that might be having a rough time an opportunity to earn some coin. It also makes sure there’s no animosity for hogging potential alcohol sales by keeping a bar staff on the Guild’s payroll.

  “Adventurer’s drink a lot, and the one running the bar keeps the majority of the sales from it. It’s quite lucrative to run, even if you do have to deal with the rowdier clientele.”

  Julia just nodded at Braden’s explanation. It honestly didn’t affect her that much either way. She didn’t really care when or why people were drinking as long as they were leaving her alone.

  They stepped through a door at the back of the reception area and proceeded down a long hall furnished with a modest—but nice—burgundy rug. There were candle holders mounted to the wall periodically that had softly glowing crystals in them.

  After a short walk down the hall, passing several doors on either side, they reached a staircase and continued up past the second floor to the third. At the end of the hall was a door slightly larger than the others she’d seen.

  It was carved from dark wood and seemed freshly polished. It also looked heavy.. Julia didn’t have great eyes for such things, but she felt she would have trouble opening it even on well-oiled hinges.

  The gentleman leading them knocked twice on the door and bid them goodbye as he headed back down the hall.

  The door opened to reveal a brick wall of a man. He had short, slicked back brown hair, a wide nose, and beady hazel eyes. His beard was short—although longer than Braden’s—and well-maintained. He was as wide as the doorway and almost as tall.

  He smiled at them, which revealed two silver teeth on the right side of his mouth—maybe knocked out in a fight long ago? “Well, howdy, Braden and Miss Julia. Come on in, won’t ya?”

  Braden smiled and ushered Julia in ahead of him. Inside was a large office with a lush black rug covering most of the floor. A deep red wooden desk sat in front of a window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. It had a chair with a high back and leather upholstery behind it, and two comfortable looking chairs with smaller backs in front of it.

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  Bookshelves covered both of the side walls with various books, scrolls, and knick knacks decorating them. There was also a couch and two chairs off to the side with a small table between them. Presumably for more relaxed meetings. The whole room said “formal but relaxed,” if she had to put it into words.

  The large man sat down at his desk and motioned for them to take the two chairs. Once everyone was seated, he spoke. “Well, I’m glad to see you both. I don’t think we’ve been introduced, Miss Julia. Name’s Bruleth. I’m the Guild Master of the Striton branch.”

  “H-hi. I’m Julia,” she said shyly. She was annoyed at herself for being so nervous. She had just been smacked around by Ravina for hours yesterday! It doesn’t get much more intimidating than that! There’s no reason a man should scare her just because he’s large and important.

  “Should all be in the papers, but we’re here to register Trixy and get Julia settled in for an apprenticeship,” Braden said with a smile. He seemed to know the Guild Master quite well. Julia wasn’t honestly sure why the Guild Master was handling this personally. It seemed like work that would be delegated in an organization this large.

  “Of course. Trixy’ll be the little thing all wrapped around your shoulders, Julia?’ Bruleth questioned.

  “Yeah. She’s a good girl.” Julia said as she petted Trixy. Doing so always helped ease Julia’s nerves, and it hopefully hid how sweaty her hands were—that and thinking about how she could shoot lightning at the big man if she really needed to.

  Trixy lifted her head long enough to rub it against Julia’s chin before settling back in lazily. “She’s a late riser,” Julia clarified.

  “Well, she’ll fit right in, then. Don’t let the morning rush fool you. Most of these rubes only drag themselves out so early on workdays. Any other day, the sun’s as high as it can get before they roll themselves outta bed—sometimes literally,” he chuckled while sifting through the papers Braden had given him.

  “Right. First and foremost, we just need a piece of something Trixy-related and your signature. A hair or something will do just fine. You can read all the details of the registration in this contract before you sign, if you want, but the gist is that any problems caused by your tame will be your responsibility to rectify—which typically means a financial responsibility.

  “That said, no matter what the city’s rules are, the Guild doesn’t consider one a legal adult until the age of 18, so any trouble Trixy causes will fall back on your guardian. In this case, that’s Braden.

  “Also, if she ever undergoes any kind of evolution or dramatic change, she’ll need to come back here immediately to update her registration. Failing to update the registry within a reasonable timeframe comes with hefty fines at a minimum—since magic beasts can have varying levels of power. If Trixy ever gets more powerful and you don’t report it, it can be seen as an attempt to hide a potentially very dangerous weapon.

  “If that was a good enough summary for you, you can go ahead and get me a sample of her hair and sign here. If not, feel free to take your time reading.” Bruleth placed down a scroll and pen in front of her as he said this.

  “Normally, I would say read anything very carefully before you sign it. This time, though, I’ve already read it myself, so I would say go ahead and sign. Also, Bruleth didn’t mention it, but a registration needs to be renewed every 2 years at a minimum.

  “If she evolves or powers up significantly enough that you need to report it, that will count as a renewal. So, it’s a renewal once every 2 years or after evolution—whichever comes first,” Braden clarified.

  Julia brushed through Trixy’s fur until a hair fell out that she could grab and set on the scroll. She then signed where indicated. Bruleth put a finger over the hair and passed mana through the scroll. The hair seemed to…get swallowed into the contract, which appeared to be made of vellum, or something. When it was finished, Bruleth put it to the side.

  “Great. Take this. It’s a token that identifies that you’re in possession of a registered tame. It doesn't have any specific details about Trixy, but presenting it to guards or authorities should alleviate any concerns. If they need specifics, they can always request information from the Guild.”

  He touched a small metal square to the scroll and passed mana through both. They both glowed for a second before it subsided and he handed the token to her. “The token has a unique mana signature attached. That way, anyone with that token can bring it to the Guild for an inquiry, and we can quickly pull Trixy’s contract out of our files by using that mana signature as an identifier,” Bruleth explained.

  “This registration will be pulled from Braden’s account, but should you lose the token, there will be a pretty hefty fee to replace it. This whole operation isn’t cheap, actually. The Guild has vellum enchanted to be reusable, but we have to keep this contract in perpetuity, so you’re paying for the enchanted vellum, the token, and the administrative fees.”

  Julia noticed there was something like an immaterial thread connecting the scroll to the token she was holding. She could only see it if she was holding the token and focused. She imagined such sophisticated enchantments for both the contract and token couldn’t be cheap.

  She then started thinking about how loaded Braden actually was. He didn’t spend frivolously, from what she saw, but they never did want for anything, now that she was thinking about it.

  “That’s the first task taken care of. Now, we have an apprenticeship to handle. First and foremost, we have to confirm you’re of eligible age. Standard procedure is to use an Identity crystal.” He took a gemstone about the size of Julia’s palm out of his desk drawer as he said this. “Now, some disclosures. This crystal will reveal your Name, Age, Class, Subclass, Magic, and Skills.

  “This Identify procedure is standard across all Guild branches everywhere, and every adventurer has to go through it. However, any information revealed during the Identify will be privy only to the Guild Master’s eyes at the branch the Identify is performed, or anyone they authorize to see it.”

  Julia became a little nervous at the disclosure of functionally her entire Status sheet. Not that there was anything on there she was afraid of getting out. Braden had warned her about her Summoning Magic or Rare Class getting around potentially causing issues, but he seemed to be on good terms with Bruleth, so she likely didn’t need to worry about it. Still, it felt a little invasive.

  She looked over at Braden and he smiled reassuringly at her. “I will personally vouch for Bruleth’s trustworthiness. However, this is your information. All adventurers have to do this disclosure, so you will have to if you ever want to be an adventurer. That said, you don’t have to be an adventurer for me to train you, so it’s up to you. We could back out now and head home. No worries from me either way,” he concluded. That was annoying. It felt like he was putting the decision entirely on her.

  Well, she did want to be an adventurer. She wasn’t completely sure what direction her life would take as she got older, but she did know that the Guild was a huge potential ally she wanted. Not only would it be a powerful backing, it would give her the freedom to go anywhere. The Guild had a branch in most major cities around the entire world, as far as she was aware.

  Having a pre-established home-base with a pre-established authority in almost every single large city in the world would be a tremendous boon no matter what she actually decided to do with her life. She nodded to Bruleth and he handed her the crystal.

  “I’m glad Braden’s already instructed you in mana Skills. Sometimes we have to coach folks through how to utilize mana just to get this part done.

  “Just pass your mana into the crystal. It’s bound to this vellum here,” he motioned towards a piece of vellum sitting on his desk. “It will automatically record your details.” Julia did as asked.

  When she began feeding mana, it suddenly felt as if someone were peering into her very soul. She felt seen in a way that was uncomfortable. It wasn’t like a person looking at her so much as a force passing through her and scraping her insides off to take with it.

  She had to remind herself it was an automated function of a magic item to restrain the shudder that threatened to escape. After glowing for a couple seconds, the crystal went inert again, and she handed it back to Bruleth.

  “Alright. Well, age is 14, so you meet the minimum requirements for apprenticeship. Let me just go ahead and ask this, though I suspect I already know the answer. What, if anything, in your status would you like us to keep confidential?

  “Like I said, no one can look at this information without my approval, but if there’s information you want kept confidential, I will take that into account when considering what to show anyone else, should it ever become relevant.”

  Julia looked over at Braden, who nodded to her, and said, “I would like my Class and its Rarity to remain confidential, as well as my Summoning Magic. I’d prefer that people believe Trixy and I met in the wild somewhere.”

  Bruleth nodded and smiled. “Of course. I figured as much. You’re ok with your Lightning Magic being held less confidentially? It’s not super rare, but having someone even remotely good at it is.”

  “Up to you again, Jules, but consider that, for right now, it’s by far your most deadly weapon. Until you acquire more experience, you’ll likely be relying pretty heavily on it. Also, Lothier has already seen you use the Bolt spell, so it’s already known to at least one other person…and, to be honest, I’d be shocked if he hasn’t already told the story of his mad dash back to the city in at least three different taverns by now,” Braden advised.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. I certainly don’t intend to get worse at it, so I suspect it’ll continue being one of my strongest Magics even as I get stronger. I’m not too concerned about word getting out,” Julia said.

  Bruleth nodded and put the vellum with her details away in his desk drawer. “Well, everything’s in order, then! Now, I do have to inform you of how this works. I’m sure Braden’s already told you all about it, but we have liability to worry about here, so I’m still going to give you a run-down.

  “First of all, here is a pamphlet with all the details you could ever need. The highlights are that you’ll be apprenticed under Braden—with pre-approval for additional apprenticeship opportunities under Ravina—for a period of four years. You’ll be able to go with Braden on pre-approved quests and access pre-approved dungeons.

  “After a period of four years, when you’re 18, your Status will be read again. Depending on the growth displayed as well as a final exam from an independent Guild proctor, you may join the Guild and advance immediately to Iron rank.

  “Even if you fail on either the Status read or proctored exam, you can still start in Bronze with all the experience from your apprenticeship under your belt. So, there’s really no downsides as far as I’m concerned.

  “If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of our Guild staff. If they can’t answer your questions, they’ll get you to someone who can. Do you have any questions about the program right now?” he asked as he finished his spiel.

  Julia shook her head and took the pamphlet before storing it in her bracelet while pretending to tuck it into her shirt.

  “Excellent! Well, I think that’s everything taken care of. Braden knows all the routine and procedures, so I’ll let you guys get started on whatever you’ve likely already got planned. Welcome to the Adventurers Guild, Miss Julia.” Bruleth extended his hand with a smile.

  “Thanks,” Julia said as they shook, her hand completely engulfed by the huge man’s monstrous mitts. She was relieved that he turned out to be much more professional and polite than his initial appearance suggested.

  She and Braden then headed out the door toward the main hall—and toward Julia’s first job as an adventurer.