The (Lewd) Fates of Adventurers

Matt took a deep breath trying to calm down. 'This was it' he thought. He was here. Finally. Exhaling, he gathered his courage and opened the doors. He took a moment as his eyes adjusted to the darker lighting of the interior. Lively. Perhaps even a bit too loud. The place was crowded. All around there were people, some wearing armor or leather or the colorful robes that marked someone as a mage or even a cleric. Some had weapons at their sides or placed on their backs, mostly swords but there were some wielding spears or daggers. Matt could see a bow or two paired with quivers full of arrows.

Most chatted amiably, a cacophony of noises that made it difficult for him to focus on any one conversation. Some sat at tables enjoying a meal, some kind of stew by the looks of it. There were drinks too but what they were Matt could only guess. Ale most likely.

It looked like every adventurer in town was inside this room and many others lined up along the wall beyond.

Matt stepped forward slowly into the center of the room looking from person to person, face after face, hoping to find an opportunity among these strangers. There was a desk up a head and standing behind it was a woman dressed smartly in a cotton blouse and an open blue vest. Wavy light brown hair fell past the front of her shoulder and into a loose braid that grazed a fairly bountiful pair of breasts. Bright green eyes behind a stylish pair of glasses stared at him intently.

She was definitely attractive. Matt felt his face heat up.

"Welcome! My name is Reyla, I am the receptionist here in this fine establishment." She said smiling warmly as she gestured him into the room. "Can you tell me what brings you here today?"

"Um... yes." Matt replied dumbly before forcibly shaking his head. "Ah! Yes, my name's Matt Garland and I'm looking for work."

Reyla smiled politely. "There's no need to be nervous. I'm here to help." Matt found himself smiling a bit as she answered. "Is this your first quest?"

"It is." Matt answered.

Reyla nodded. "The Valesbrook Adventurer's guild requires that any new adventurer taking upon our services is required to register with us before they can be assigned any request."

"Oh... um okay." Matt replied, his hand ruffling the dark brown-almost black hair in back of his head anxiously. "Then I guess I should register."

The receptionist nodded as she opened one of the ledgers in front of her. "There is a one time registration fee of ten full copper coins." Reyla stated plainly.

Matt winced as his hand dropped from his head and reached for a pocket sown into the side of his belt. Ten full sized coppers was no small amount of coin. He could afford it. Barely. But it would cut into the funds he'd need to acquire a room and food. Instead of the weeks time for lodging, he'd only be able to afford two nights. Maybe a third without meals.

"I don't have much money right now..." He started to explain but Reyla interrupted him.

"Not a problem." She smiled brightly. "In addition to being an adventurers guild we also run a lending service."

Matt felt his eyebrows rising in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes indeed." The woman continued. "If you can cover at least half the costs, then you may deposit your fees here with me until such times as you can pay them in full or your quest has been completed successfully and you are ready for payment.

Matt breathed a sigh of relief. That was a much better option.

"Um... thanks." He replied.

Reyla grinned warmly. "Just fill out this form and I'll be sure that your registration is complete. Once you've completed enough quests or if you've obtained the finances sooner, we'll resolve the remaining balance."

"Okay." Matt nodded, taking the paper from the desk before taking a seat near the front of the room to write down his details.

The rest of the morning passed by quickly as he filled in the forms. Finishing the last of the forms, he sighed. 'Finally'.

"All done!" He called to Reyla who smiled broadly. "Do you think I'm good to go?"

She took the forms, looked at them briefly and then nodded. "Yes, the forms look fine. I'll have these filed by the end of the day." She then pointed to a large wooden board, where a number of adventurers have gathered. "Take a look at the board and see a quest you like. When you've decided just take to request off the wall and show it to me. You'll be starting as a copper rank adventurer, so only take quests that match your rank."

"Copper rank? Is that bad?"

Reyla smiled again. "Not at all! It's really more about experience than anything else. If you pass certain criteria during your first few adventures you're allowed to move up in rank." She paused for a moment. "Well, perhaps before deciding on a quest it maybe in your best interest to form a party first."

"A-a party?"

Reyla nodded. "Yes, there are many advantages to having a group. You can help one another out. Find clues and information faster. But of course, you can also make things harder on yourselves if you don't work well together."

"I-I see." Matt looked down deep in thought, only to realize he found himself once again staring at Reyla's breasts and the tight blouse that did little to hide their size. His head shot back up and he flushed again.

If Reyla had noticed Matt's mistake her expression never changed, still showing a kind and gentle smile. "With a party you can take on more dangerous and lucrative quests, however in return your reward for completing those quests will be split between your fellow party members."

"Oh..." That made sense.

Reyla nodded. "The decision is yours. But if you'd like my advice, I'd say to start small at first and get a feel for how things work."

"Mmh." Matt nodded.

"And finally, Mister Garland. Don't overestimate your abilities or you may find your career as an adventurer cut tragically short. However at the same time you shouldn't underestimate them either." She smiled.

"I understand." Matt replied.

Reyla grinned. "Alright get to it then. In case you haven't noticed, there's a line beginning to form behind you."

"Ah." And indeed there was. He bowed. "Thank you Miss Reyla."

"Just Reyla is fine."

Matt bowed once again, and then turned towards the board.