Rankings, Guilds, and Representatives

As I walked towards the green table I noticed that the priests and the more talented mages were all sitting at the blue table. The rest of the mages all sat together at another table, those who specialized in ranged weapons sat together, and many of those who weren't as good at melee combat were at their own tables. The green table contained the paladin and those who were better at melee combat.

I breathed a sigh of relief. The arrangement of the tables seemed to indicate how people had done. It also showed how quickly the Union worked. They had processed the assessment results as you were walking towards the main hall.

The tables were filled with idle chat mixed with nervous energy. I joined in a few times talking about the specialty exam. My hope was to try and engage the paladin in conversation. The Cult of the Court of Masks could be found across the world but they were a minor religion compared to the Church of the Holy Light. Most villages and towns had their own set of spiritual practices and entities that they worshipped. There just wasn't a lot known baou them outside their own circles.

Because of my dreams I was hoping to gain some sort of relationship with him to learn more about them. But he didn't join in the conversation. He didn't have an unpleasant air about him, he just didn't engage with others. It reminded me of how I was when I joined the merchant caravan.

Before I could get him to talk, a few union representatives came towards the tables.

"I'll be giving you a sheet with your rank as well as the names of guilds that are interested in you. You can approach other guilds if you want, but it's unlikely they'll want you. Myrjol." A young woman next to me raised her hand and was handed a slip of paper. "Gulbrandr." The paladin was given his paper.

"Wilmaer." I took my paper and saw a D next to my name at the top and a series of letters and numbers. Below it listed my individual ranks. D for knowledge and combat and a C for Harvesting. There were six guilds listed including the Burnished Axes and to my surprise the Rainbow Blades. From what Ketill said, they had to be a top guild.

I questioned my plan for a moment. A large guild would have resources that could help me in the future. The biggest problem would be hiding my true talents. The fact that I had two Lineage auras and magic would cause them to ask questions. It was tempting but I felt it best to decline.

"What do I do if I want to be a freelancer?" I asked.

"You can head over to the main counter there. The representative on the left will handle new adventurers. You will be assigned a representative that will help you going forward." She said.

I gave her a nod and headed toward the counter. Three different junior representatives sat behind the counter. The one in the middle was helping an adventurer. I approached the one on the left.

"How can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm looking to register as a freelancer." I said.

"Are you sure? It can be harder to get into your guild of choice after the assessment." She said.

"I'm sure." I said.

"Okay. Can I have your paper?" She said.

I handed it to her and her eyes widened as she looked it over. "You're sure you want to be a freelancer? Even veteran adventurers have a hard time getting an invitation to the Rainbow Blades."

"Again, I'm sure."

"Alright." She rolled her eyes. And started to look over some other pieces of paper. "Your assigned representative will be…" She started.

"I was actually hoping to have a specific representative." I Interrupted her.

"New adventurers are assigned one based on a list. The Union wants to make sure every junior representative has a chance to work with adventurers." She said.

"The representative over there, the one welcoming us into the main hall. Where on the list is he?" I asked.

"Who?" She looked over to the entrance from the courtyard. "You mean Raginhard?"

"Yes. Where on the list is he?" I asked again.

"It looks like there are two others in front of him." She said.

I reached over and took the paper with my information back. "I'll wait for two others to register as freelancers."

"That might not happen anytime soon. Most new recruits join guilds or work for the Union directly." She said.

"I'll wait." Standing to the side, I waited for others to come up.

It didn't take long for me to realize that she was right. The few new adventurers that did come up to the counter from my group were all E ranked and didn't receive any guild invites. Everyone else began to move into the larger part of the main hall to briefly meet with members of the guilds that were looking to recruit them.

After the fourth group came in and received their papers Ketill came over and chatted with me a bit. He was E ranked but received an invitation to the Green Shields guild. A woman with a bow came and registered as a freelancer during this time.

The fifth group was smaller than the others and no one came to register as a freelancer. Waiting for the next group I saw Vesta approaching me from across the room. A stern looking older woman with two short swords attached to her hips watched her. I gave her a nod of the head as she approached.

"It's been awhile." She said. "I'm glad to see you."

"I'm actually a little surprised to see you here. I didn't take you for the adventuring type." I said.

"Maybe you don't know me all that well. What surprised me was that you're D ranked. Why are you still hiding your strength? Even if you didn't want to show your Lineage, you could have easily achieved a C rank." She said.

"Maybe you don't know me all that well either." I said.

"Either way, I joined the Rainbow Blades and since they learned that we know each other, they asked me to see if you were interested in joining them?" She said.

"Unfortunately I value my freedom. I plan to work as a freelancer. If they want to hire me from time to time I wouldn't be opposed to that." I said.

"I'm not sure they are the type to want to work with D rankers. I guess there's nothing else to talk about." She turned to walk away.

"Wait." I paused as she partially turned back around. "You seem to blame me for others' betrayal on the way here. I'd prefer to clear the air around us."

"I don't blame you for their betrayal." She said. "It was… Nothing. I wish you well."

She turned again. "You must have seen how I took care of Diocles." Even though she had already mentioned that I had a Lineage, I wanted to hope she didn't make the connection. "Why haven't you told anyone?" The implication was why hadn't she told any authorities?

She replied without turning back. "I have experience with rumors becoming more than they are. Also, Zephyr seems to trust you." After that she returned to the woman who didn't seem happy with my response.

By now it was getting closer to dinner and the groups of new adventurers were smaller and smaller. The person behind the counter had switched with someone else and after the first representative whispered into the new guy's ear, he gave me a weird look.

Finally a young woman came and registered as a freelancer. After handing my information to the representative he filled out the necessary form and let me know that I could come back tomorrow to meet with Raginhard. He also handed me a token to use to identify myself as a member of the Adventurers Union. Raginhard would help me finish attuning it specifically to me.

Since I had missed lunch by standing near the counter, I sat at a table and ordered a small meal within the main hall. Towards the end of my meal, Raginhard sat at the table across from me. He had a look of deep thought.

"Why me?" He asked.

I knew this question was coming. There was no way he wouldn't ask after I waited most of the day in order to get him as my representative.

"Would you believe I had a dream about you?" I said.

"I've read about stranger things happening." He said. It didn't seem like he fully believed me.

"If you don't want to be my representative I can't make you. If you do end up as my representative, you'd need to get used to me not explaining everything to you. I don't plan on being a traditional adventurer." I said.

After a moment he said. "The Union requires me to report any criminal behavior. Also, there are parasitic entities that can take over human minds. If you insist on acting suspiciously in a non criminal manner, then I will insist that you allow me to conduct routine checks to make sure that you are not compromised in any way."

I couldn't help but stare at him, my mouth slightly open. He was very straightforward.

"That should work. Now what exactly can a Union representative do for me?"