1 day prior to [Solans] descent -
"You've got to be kidding me!"
A young woman said slamming a quest slip on the guild receptionist counter
{Guild receptionist: "Look, Mrs. Chatsworth, Like I've told you 5 times you can't complete the quest!" She said looking a little impatient but nonetheless staying professional.
{Guild receptionist: "Sarah Chatsworth, sigh… 17-year-old magical prodigy. I've been a guild receptionist a long time but not in my 5 years working at Rampart Adventurers Company have I seen a more talented mage." She says with discontent as though she didn't want to believe it. "Her file says that she grew up in some far-off village named "Breskin Village" not much else has been listed here about any of her origins. She is a mystery."
{Sarah Chatsworth: "I've been working for almost 2 years trying to get my gold rank certification and I finally have the funds! I can do this quest easily, just please make this exception one time! I'm begging you…" She says slowly sliding across the counter towards the floor.
With even more irritated eyes the guild receptionist has definitely had enough for today
{Guild receptionist: "Look I'm sorry, like I've said there's not much I can do here. You don't have the necessary requirements to complete the quest. It says you need a party of 5 MINIMUM and you're not high enough rank to solo it!" She sternly invoked " I can offer another substitute quest if you agree to team up with a party?"
The Rampart Adventurers Company, or RAC for short, is one of the most influential guilds in the country of Bahamik. They have other stations in other parts of the supercontinent, but their primary form of location is in this desert-filled region.
They are renowned and highly respected by both warriors and civilians alike. A global powerhouse able to snuff out anyone they deem a threat to their enterprise.
They have a very strict way of doing business, thus giving them a stern reputation among the adventurers who choose to work for them.
No exceptions, even the mighty Sarah Chatsworth is no exception.
{Sarah Chatsworth: "You knew me, I'm a solo adventurer!" She says with a cocky glint in her eyes "All I need is 1 gold rank quest and I'll have the necessary requirements {Plus the pay is huuuge}."
"Do you have any available? One that I can do on my own, pleeease!"
{Guild receptionist: "Let me look through our database really quick, won't take long."
As the receptionist gets up from her desk and heads to the catalog in the back, Sarah notices something peculiar on the quest board to her left.
What immediately caught her eye was the large group of adventurers huddled around it, next is the huge reward posted on the pamphlet.
{Sarah: "Let's see here… help wanted, look for someone of high rank… blah blah blah…"
She continues reading
"Villagers in a neighboring town have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Send reinforcements?!"
With a shocked look on her face, she grabs it and heads to the receptionist desk where the receptionist is already there waiting for her to come back.
{Guild receptionist: "Here is a high ranki-
{Sarah Chatsworth: "What is this!? Everyone is looking at it and it looks dangerous! What rank is this quest?"
The receptionist, shocked at the sudden display of excitement, looks at the pamphlet Sarah had brought.
"Let me scan this really quick, I haven't seen it yet… This is a platinum rank quest!"
The ranking system in the Rampart adventurer's guild is simple and straightforward.
Every adventure starts as an intern, or trainee. Every quest they complete gets added up to their total worth or value. After a certain number of points have been acquired, you must pay a fee and take an aptitude test/written test or complete a quest of equal value to the rank you want to be promoted to.
The rankings go as followed:
In order: Bronze, Iron, Tungsten, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orichalcum, Titanium.
Bronze being the lowest rank, Titanium being the highest rank.
Quests above Platinum are considered "Special" due to the requirement that parties must contain at least 5 people. The quest that Sarah was trying to pick before was a mithril rank quest. But considering how difficult the quest was along with Sarah being a solo adventurer the guild forbade her in partaking in it without a party. Among the requirements of accepting a quest the adventurer must be of equal rank to the quest they want to accept. The sole exception being the rank up exam.
{Guild receptionist: "It sure is rare seeing a Platinum in our guild hall. Highest we see these days is gold… no surprise there, considering how remote our village is."
{Sarah: "Sooo… can I take I-
"No"
{Guild receptionist: "But, I do have something you might be interested in considering your situation.
She points to the slip next to the one Sarah grabbed off the wall.
{Sarah: "What's this?" She said looking a little down after the quick rejection
"What I have here is a gold rank quest for a search operation near the borders of Denosins Desert. A researcher studying the mating patterns of a newly discovered specimen of ground dragon" She proclaims to be inspired by the contents of the quest. "I don't feel like reading the specifics, but the researcher should debrief you once you guys meet.
"So… is this looking interesting?"
"Not really"
"WHAT!!??" "I spent my time picking a quick gold ranked quest for you…" She said sulking
"But Sarah, considering the difficulty rank being Gold, and the amount of coin being offered for the escort I think it would be worth it"
{Sarah: "I need to make a few stops by some local shops nearby before I head out… maybe a map of the area of Denosins Desert. Got one for sale?"
{Guild receptionist: "We actually do! Let me grab that for you" She says enthusiastically as she reaches under her desk for a map "That'll be 5 silver coins please."
Sarah, begrudgingly, reaches her hand into the left pocket of her robe hoping to scrounge up any scraps left after paying her exam fee.
Luckily, she had just enough silver coins. She did not feel like taking out another deposit at the local bank for more.
Considering the conversion for copper -> silver coins being a 100/1 ratio. She was not looking forward to the math.
After placing the 5 silver coins on the desk she takes a good look at the map in front of her.
{Guild receptionist: "Look here, see this icon?" She said point towards the icon that looks like 2 shacks next to each other. "This is us, Vanitnova, closest city west of bordering the Denosins desert. Your client, if you partake in the quest, is located here." She points towards an icon that looks like a single shack. "The client is located in hayward village directly south and a 1-day carriage ride from Vanitnova"
"I suggest taking a carriage out tonight and settling in a nearby inn tomorrow morning. It'll be the quickest way to get settled in. Because you're a friend I'll give you a heads up that a festival is going to be held there in 2 days."
[Sarah's eyes gleam with excitement]
"Yeah, yeah… call yourself. I suggest getting there by tomorrow morning as to miss the inflated inn prices from the festival"
{Sarah: "Oh my god, thank you Liz" she says lunging forward over the counter and squeezing her
close
"Yeah, yeah I'm awesome you can let go now."
"So, the verdict?"
"I'm in."
"Very well, just sign here"