Back to the Guild - 2C (Mirrored)

Chapter 2 – Putting the Team Together (continued)

They traveled largely in silence back to the guild hall, where Kaylen found that while the faces had changed, the room looked overall much the same.

Kaylen sat at a table with Alanthea while Marius stood against the wall nearby and Tyrell went into the backroom to retrieve a stack of parchment. “We tend to keep a small collection of low risk requests for new adventurers to cut their teeth on.” He explained on returning. “It looks like one of these four has already been accepted, and you don’t meet the prerequisites for the second one. That leaves these two. A small tribe of goblins has been spotted in the caves near a mining town in the eastern part of the kingdom, and some local woodsmen have seen signs of a growing nest of giant spiders.”

“I feel I probably know more about goblins than giant spiders. I’ve heard they have few females.” Kaylen observed.

“That’s correct.” Tyrell nodded, reviewing one of the sheaves he’d presented. “And now that you mention it, that would present an unusual challenge for your team which consists mostly of women, wouldn’t it?”

“Why should that make such a difference?”

“They would likely try to **** us.” Alanthea interjected.

“The sister is correct.” Tyrell agreed. “Blunt, but correct. Goblin tribes with no females of their own need to mate with females of other species in order to reproduce. Being faced with multiple females in your group could send them into something of a frenzy, making them more difficult to defeat. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t handle them, but I don’t think I can in good conscience send you to face them completely untested. So that just leaves the spiders.” He slid the remaining sheaf of parchment to Kaylen.

“I think they won’t be a problem for us, would you say?” He turned to Alanthea.

She simply nodded.

Master Norrison stood with the three remaining sheaves of parchment, and extended a hand to Kaylen. “Very well, good luck on your first adventure, Adept Gallowglass.”

Kaylen gripped the other man’s hand firmly, “I’ll look forward to delivering our report.”

Tyrell nodded, “Probably won’t be me who takes your report. But I’m sure I will see you around. Farewell.”

“Farewell.” Kaylen replied, then turned back to Alanthea as soon as the guild master departed. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the entrance.

She nodded, and led the way out toward the market.