Four days after I left Marlow I finally saw the city of Valden. The sun was high in the sky signifying midday, and my journey had been fairly uneventful. Well besides helping Mr. Lach and his group with that wolf, patting the pouch that contained the claws and fangs of the wolf I managed to kill. The trader had also taken the pelt to go with my axe as payment for the sword.
I approached the gate that connected to the stone wall that wrapped around the city. Several stone buildings peaked over the wall, but I assumed most didn't reach that high. It was fascinating as a former construction worker to see the craftsmanship ship of the architecture. You would assume that because it's not modern it would be inferior, but I found myself admiring the structures.
There were 2 guards on either side, but they seemed to be more of a show of force than anything. They would stop large carraiges and wagons, but were usually let through after the driver flashed a paper. I assumed it must be similar to my letter of reference that Mr. Lach had given me.
When I reached the guards they scrutinized me and my sword but eventually just waved me through with whispers of "giant" and "I don't get paid enough" I didn't know whether to be glad for the ease of entering or worried at the fact that the guards wouldn't have tried to stop if I had been a bad person.
Mr. Lach had given me directions to the guild hall in Valden so that I could go ahead and get an appointment set up through the guild for my examination as well as sell the fangs and claws of the wolf. I could have taken them to one of the traders in the city, but he told me that the guild typically pays more. The guild actually uses the materials while the traders are just trying to get it as cheap as possible to flip it for a profit.
The guild hall was one of only a handful of buildings that was made entirely of wood, with a sign hanging above the entrance. "Valden City Adventurers Guild"
I passed several people that I assumed to be adventurers, each giving me a once over as if they were assessing me. And perhaps they were. I imagine people are always looking for new members to strengthen their party, or worry that a more talented adventurer would steal their jobs and chance at fame.
"Over here, can I help you?" A smooth voice called through the calm rumble of the inhabitants. I followed the sound to a waving hand of a smiling young woman behind a counter. She gave off a pleasant aura and I could feel and see her mana core, as I could everyone's, but hers was different from the ones I'd seen so far. It felt and looked as calming as her voice sounded, a calm that easily assuaged my anxiety as I made my way through the entering and exiting adventurers.
"Were you calling for me?" I asked as I reached the counter. Her smile widened a bit as she nodded. Her hair was an auburn color that unfortunately reminded me of my mother, but thankfully that seemed to be where the similarities stopped. She looked to be in her early 20s and by the way I noticed several people continually look her way she had more than a few admirers.
"Yes, my name is Alice, you seemed to be new here so I called you over here to see if you needed any help." The gentle smile never left her face, and I kept having to mentally chide myself to not get so drawn in to her mana. It didn't seem like everyone could see and feel others mana, or if they did they didn't mention it, so I didn't want to accidentally offend her.
"You're right, I just got here from Marlow. My name is Steel and I'm looking to sell these wolf fangs and claws as well as get started with becoming an adventurer." I responded calmly, laughing at how absurd this still felt. It was like I was cosplaying or roleplaying, I still hadn't fully wrapped my head around it yet.
"I see! Nice to meet you Steel! That's a bit of a… unique name if you don't mind me saying so" She responded.
"Haha, yes. So I've been told." I laughed with a bit of embarrassment. I really loved and respected the parents of Steel, but I couldn't help but wish they had given me as somewhat normal name.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you. Here, hand me the wolf parts and I'll pass them on to get appraised and while we wait I can help get you set up." Alice said apologetically as she took the pouch containing the fangs and claws from me. I assured her it was fine as she slipped in to a side room before coming back out with a sheet of paper.
"Here you go, Steel. It's mostly general information, but if you need any help just ask me." Alice finished with a smile, as she gestured to a small table and chair that had an inkwell and pen.
It was like she said, the paper asked for fairly normal information such as: my name, age, birthplace, mana core level, affinities, mage type and my weapon of choice. As well as any references or sponsors. I wondered if it would be alright to list Mr. Lach since it was his signature on the letter of reference. Though I didn't know if I should write down his name or Granite Trading Company.
"I'll just wait and ask." I decided aloud as I began filling in the other information. Only pausing once more at age. I had a feeling that putting 10 would not be smart, mostly because I doubted people would believe. Hell if I wasn't in this body I would have a hard time believing this was the body of a 10 year old. Not just the size but the musculature of Steel was that of someone who worked out everyday, and rigorous training at that.
I decided to age myself up a few years. 14 would still likely seem too young to most for my size, but it should be more believable than 10. With all the rest filled in, only leaving affinities and references blank I headed back to Ms. Alice.
"All done, or did you need help with something?" She asked as she turned towards me. I passed the paper over to her and brought out the letter of reference.
"Well I was wondering if something like this could be used as well what I should put down." She nodded as she took both papers and her eyes roamed the page, briefly widening when I assume she made it to my age but she didn't comment.
"Ah I see you met Mr. Lach. As he is a well respected B rank adventurer I would recommend putting his name down. Granite Trading Company would be better suited for trying to trade or joining specific quests for their travels." I nodded along as she scribbled down Lach Granite in the references section, before signing at the bottom herself.
"Alright, Steel. You're all set. Let me just get you this exam card. It will verify that you are indeed, the same Steel that had his registration form filled out in Valden. When you get to Xyrus just hand this to one of the guild receptionists and you'll be seen as soon as possible for an affinity assessment and depending on the volume of examiners they may even be able to fit you in that day." She spoke slowly and clearly ensuring that I understood everything as she passed me the card.
"Thank you very much, Ms. Alice. This was much easier than I'd imagined it would be." I smiled genuinely.
"No, thank you! I wish you luck on your journey. Now here's your pay for the wolf parts. It came out to 5 silver and 20 copper total, not a bad haul for someone that's not even officially an adventurer yet." She said cheerfully as she passed me the coins, which I quickly dumped into the pouch with my other copper.
We both waved goodbye and as I turned to head towards the door I accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sor-" I beg and but when I looked at them they weren't even looking at me. As if they hadn't even registered I had bumped into them. I followed the man's eyes over to Alice and I heard him audibly gulp.
"Rey, what are you standing in the way for? Can't you see this giant is trying to get by? No offense big guy." A red haired man with a spear on his back looked up at me with amusement in his eyes.
"No worries." I said as I stepped around them, a blonde haired woman was a step behind the 2 men and another woman with point ears as well as man nearly as tall as me followed her. Each gave me an apologetic nod as they passed which I returned. As I passed i turned to see them all crowding around the man I had bumped into, named Rey. They were all thumping him and teasing him as his cheeks flamed with embarrassment.
I felt a smile tug at my lips as I turned back and headed out of the guild hall. I couldn't help but hope that I would find a fun group like that. People that I could joke around with, but also know that we had each others back no matter what. For some reason it made me look forward to becoming an adventurer even more. To which I increased my pace to the gates so that I could get to Xyrus as soon as possible.