Horizon Odyssey, Chapter 1, A hopeful fresh start

[Rothene]

A day in Horizon...

In the North Wing...

"The supplies have arrived? Very good. Very good indeed," Chen remarked softly as he watched his two assistants pile the new stock of warp stones at the centre of the store. The precious materials is prized by all explorers because refined, they warp a whole party to the labyrinth entrance when cracked open.

Alchemists could duplicate that with the right knowledge and configuration to their arms, but for most explorers, the stones are a life saver. To produce the warp stones, explorers had to dig out the simply named Warp Ore and sell it to Chen to have them processed into warp stones. Business had been rather good due to the low supply and high demand but some Alchemists went and discovered the means of replicating its properties with their formulas and business slowed.

Luckily for him, Alchemists were far rarer as explorers. One of the store assistant, Sui, spoke up, "Shall we open the shop now boss?"

Chen nodded holding his abacus grinning, "Yeah, make me proud today the two of you." Looking out of his window as the sun was rising, watching the other craftsman opening their doors, displaying their wares, lately tools of killing and tools that slowed the rate of being killed. "Well, looks like the the smithy opened before us today."

***

"Doctor Deepa! A soldier arrived with platypus venom in him! He needs immediate attention," called out Zoey from the desk at the entrance of the clinic. It was a rather busy day, and already there was a long queue of people waiting to be seen to. Word got out that a guild had sighted staircase leading to the third floor of the labyrinth, leading to a rush of explorers getting injured as they struggled to make their way to find the elusive staircase.

Explorers greatly valued the secrets within their maps, and only yield some of the information when there is much En to be earned. Or with enough prodding from the council.

Part of the contract made between Horizon and the formation of a guild is that whatever a guild reports to a council, in exchange for their license to form will be kept secret from all but the explorers who report the discovery, the council members themselves and the special Yggdrasil research executive from each nation. This is to encourage guilds to keep their hard earned discoveries as well as make it a premium to be bartered and sold like a commodity. Hence explorers jealously guard their knowledge, and murder both direct and indirect have occured in the labyrinth where the only law that exists is the law of survival.

"Bring the soldier to ward seven immediately!" a female voice called out from one of the rooms. Doctor Deepa was not in a favourable mood that day, but she was a professional and kept it mostly out of her work. Dark skinned and sporting a long black braid, Deepa was the most commonly seen doctor as she worked the morning till mid afternoon shift. Most of the time she had a warm reassuring smile on her face, one she practiced a lot on her newborn infant to calm him to great success.

Pointing to one of the helpers in the clinic, Deepa ordered, "You, grab the medica on shelf D and administer it to the soldier, it should strengthen him for a moment longer, then use the antidote from the same shelf to purge the poison. Can't have him die while the venom is purging now, go!"

***

In the East Wing...

"Good morning dad," Canis said as he got down stairs in Miriam's Rose inn. His father, ever hardworking looked up and gave him a simple nod before continuing, "Your friend's in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the explorers, he might need help. A bunch left at midnight last night. If experience tells me anything, they'll be back soon and hungry."

"Will do dad," Canis chirped as he leaped past the last few steps. The young man, barely an adult ran to the kitchen and ate a loaf of bread while he helped his friend with the food preparation. Which was not too much.

Only a few years back the inn had no competition, but with the discovery of the labyrinth, two new inns had opened up, one called Trust Tella, ran by a group of friends from some large city far to the south and another called Swanback, which was only frequented by the desperate, the poor and those who sought to barter hidden knowledge.

***

In the South Wing...

Various farmers of Horizon were in the field, tilling the soil and preparing the land for a new years set of crops. It was spring and they had to act quickly.

***

In the West Wing...

A lone figure walks through a well trodden path with a large pouch slung by his side. Those who spared the man a glance would notice the pouch was filled to the brim with rolls of paper and forms.

Stopping in front of a modest, newly restored two storey building with a red roof, the man unlocked the door and entered an open hallway with a few furniture here and there and a small kitchen hidden at the back. With great care, the man pulled open the beige curtains and opened the glass windows to let the morning sun in from the east. The restoration project put into motion by the Horizon Council was rapid and already half the West Wing was clear of debris and most structures restored and reinforced for guild uses.

Reaching his desk at the far end of the hall, the man took out a large sheet of paper and lay it on the desk. The names Robin and ITL on the paper signified his name as guildmaster and the guild's rather unusual name respectively.

Taking out a large banner from his pouch, this one blank, Robin began scribbling on it large letters in black paint.

Satisfied with his handiwork, the guildmaster went outside of the building and tied the large banner above his entrance before going in to sit behind his desk and wait patiently.

The banner read:

Guild ITL
Now Recruiting!

[FrankerZ]

"Oi, You! Wake up!" shouted out a grizzly voice. "Ya best get up right now unless ye'r gettin' cold feet!" the voice boomed again. The voice could hardly be heard over the clip-clopping sound of horses and the rickety sound of the carriage wood rocking. Slowly, the man who was being shouted at opened his eyes and let out a sigh. 'Over two months on the road... I'm finally here.' He thought to himself.

"Common, yer holdin' me up! I gotta be takin' these people to the next town." The voice roared once more.
"Yes yes..." the man murmured as he slowly rose out of his seat. He gathered his things and stepped out of the carriage.

The carraige driver stepped down off the front of the vehicle and said: "Look, I dunno whachur thinkin commin' here... This town's a tickin bomb, since that labyrinth opened up there's been nothin' but earthquakes, this entire nation seems to be on th' verge of goin' ta war... These 'quakes though, they're gettin worse, peopl' are sayin' it's the government tryin ta test out some kinda new weapon, others are preachin' it's the end 'a days... Gah, listen ta me ramblin' just gimme yer en and i'll be off."

The traveler handed the driver a small sack of coin and with a smile said "That should more than cover the fair." Taking the coin, the driver climbed back up to his seat. "Victor ya said was it?" The traveler nodded to the driver. "Alright, I'm off, now ya take care aright?" He said as he drove off, leaving Victor outside the eastern gate.



Rummaging through his pocket, Victor pulled out a small note reading:

"Meet me by the fountain in the West wing, I'll be there everyday until noon. I'll bring you up to speed then. -Tobi"

"Well well well! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" said a voice from behind. Before he could even turn around, a hearty slap on the back nearly knocked Victor to the ground. Slightly groaning, Victor turned around and gazed the man. The man was about the same age as Victor and sported a dark green cloak with a large wooden bow on his back. This man could only be a survivalist.

Addressing the man, Victor said "Tobias... You said you were going to by a fountain in the west wing. You are aware we are not even through the eastern gate, correct?" with a grimace.

"Well, I guess I got tired of waiting! Com'on my friend, the others are already situated, let's hurry. To the West wing! Godspeed!" he replied with a hearty laugh. "Lets walk and talk." Tobias said as the two began making their way through the gate.

"I take it we don't know too much about what's going on inside the labyrinth yet do we?" Victor said as he trailed his friend.

"That is correct. OH WAIT!" Tobias exclaimed as he halted and began rummaging through a small bag. "I almost forgot, here. These are for you." Tobias produced two pieces of partchment and handed them to his friend. "Two maps." he stated. "One is for the town, and the other is a partial map of part of the labyrinth that I 'borrowed' from one of guards at the entrance."

Victor smiled slightly as he took the parchment. 'Heh, Tobi hasn't changed one bit...'

Look down at his watch, Tobias gasped at the time. "Well, it's been nice seeing you again Vic, I actually need to be somewhere at the moment... Go join a guild. I'll stay in touch." Quickly rushing off, he shouted to Victor. "REMEMBER! KEEP A LOG OF EVERYTHING! AND DON'T FORGET, WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!"

Victor smiled once again. Hasn't changed one bit... he reiterated to himself.

As scatterbrained as his friend was, Victor knew that deep inside that confusing mess of a mind Tobias had, was a brilliant mastermind. Victor lost himself in thought as he continued making his way to west wing. 'We're in this together... Tobias is fine, but I wonder how those other three are holding up...' he pondered to himself. Stopping for a moment, Victor pondered if this plan would work... It certainly was a crazy scheme that only Tobias could come up with.

Tobias, Victor, Sid, Cathrine and Clorette. The five of them made up their own guild, all just as determined as the other to discover the "find of the century" to earn fame and fortune not matter the cost. The plan was for them to all split up together and each join different guilds. Everyone would report to Tobias with any significant findings and from there, Tobias would relay the information to everyone else. Their target was the source of the earthquakes, they'd all leave their current guilds and take the source for themselves; and they would anything it takes. Deceiving or killing, they vowed they would do anything. Anything.

***

A while passed, Victor was still thinking as he continued trotting along. Before he knew it, he had crossed into the Horizon's west wing. Looking around, Victor could see only a few of the guild halls were open. A large banner on a red-roofed building caught his eye. 'ITL huh? Can't say the name rolls off the tongue...' he silently remarked to himself. The amused giggles of some other adventurers could be heard, no doubt snickering about the guild's name. Well, it's as good of a place to start as any...' He thought to himself as he approached the building.

Opening the door, Victor stepped into the building. From the hallway, Victor noticed everything looked relatively new, there probably weren't too many other explorers here. The only word that came to his mind was "perfect". Victor gathered himself put on a warm smile, and in his most dignified and polite voice he called from the entry hall.

"Hail! I saw the banner and I umm... Well I would like to know if you are still recruiting!"

[Rothene]

Robin had just began doodling on a blank piece of paper out of boredom when the door opened and words that felt like a glorious anthem rang through his ears.

Bolting up from his seat, Robin opened his arms wide and spoke with his deep booming voice, "Still recruiting you ask?! Why, guild ITL has plenty of room to spare good sir!"

Quickly snatching an application form from his desk, the new guildmaster rushed to Victor's side and showed him the paper. "This my good man, is the key or rather stepping stone to a glorious future of glory and wealth! Just sign your name and your age here, as well as you occupation," Robin explained, thrusting the paper and a pen to the gunner's hand then gesturing at a nearby table, "You can either fill it in on the table there or the desk, whichever suits your fancy."

Oh snap, I forgot to prepare snacks and drinks for my first guildmember, well, it's never too late to do so after he signs.

[FrankerZ]

Taken slightly aback by the guild master's excitement, Victor smiled and took the application and pen and sat at the desk. Discreetly, Victor examined a few of the papers that arranged on the desk. Most of it seemed to be legal stuff, but, out of the corner of his eye Victor spotted a piece of paper with what seemed to be childish scribblings. 'Was this man just doodling before I got here...?'

For a brief moment he glanced over his shoulder at the guild master to size up the man. The man looked a few years older than Victor, but other than that, Victor couldn't make out any distinguishing features. Averting his gaze back to the papers, Victor feigned reading the fine print as he pondered this man. The guild master skipped an introduction, was doodling and overly abundant with excitement. Victor couldn't read him; he couldn't tell if this man was sizing him up the same as Victor was him. This shook Victor's confidence greatly.

Victor sat there silent for a while, longer that he should. He had to say something. Victor took a breath, steeled himself and regained his cheerful composure. "My apologies sir, just reading the fine print... If I don't asking, may I have your name? Mine is Victor, but please, call me Vic" He turned in his chair and extended his hand.

[Riseatrance]

Reo walked along the East Wing, having come through here on his own mission, but at the same time, still being a relative greenhorn when it came to the whole 'mercenary service,' having only taken smaller-scale jobs in the past. All he had on him were his trusty katana (though it was in dire need of sharpening, or even replacing) and a moderately sized pouch slung on his back. He also draped a white cloak around himself, concealing his skin. He looked about as he paced slowly, eyeing the various establishments in said wing. Swanback... Trust Tella... Miriam's Rose? ...Businesses. Reo sighed. He wasn't particularly tired, though he kept in mind that Swanback may be a den of worthy information, judging by the people who seemed to be going in and out of it... At the fore, he noticed a conspicuous figure with some firearms interacting with what appeared to be an accomplice before they made their way through to another location. To where exactly, Reo wasn't sure, but he had a feeling he had to keep an eye on them.

The first rule of the Sakurakouji Clan - trust no one who looks even remotely threatening. That guy fit a bill nicely. Reo had turned his head around to hear the muttering and chatter of the passersby, some were mentioning these small bands of travelers and adventurers called "guilds." Reo surmised it was a possibility that he may have to join one such 'guild.' The second rule of the Sakurakouji Clan - do whatever it takes to complete the mission or task at hand. If joining a guild would help him, then he would do it. He wasn't the kind of person to ditch a team player, though... The third rule of the Sakurakouji Clan - make alliances. Break off the shaky ones, treasure the tight ones. Reo sighed. Hopefully he would find reliable allies in this haven. He decided it would be a smart idea to trail the suspicious gunner and his accomplice, and he did, keeping a safe distance behind, almost as if tailing them, or doing a stakeout. West Wing, was it? That's what he heard. So he went.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, barring some strange glances about him, which only served to make him tighten the cloak around his body, all it seemed to do though was to accentuate his figure, though he was scarcely aware of this. At the West Wing, his supposed destination, he saw a couple of structures about, it appears folks were in the middle of a restoration project. One of them seemed to strike out at Reo's eye. A large banner... "Guild... I.. TL? ITL?" Reo wasn't sure whether to pronounce the letters individually... or...? He decided to go with his gut. "ITL." Reo looked around, and saw other potential fits. But they didn't seem to care too much about the task set, at least, it seemed evident when this ITL structure was among the only ones with a banner. Reo sighed and entered the building thusly, and found himself at a rather large entry hall. "This... is a building, alright." Reo muttered to himself. In the distance, he saw the same suspicious man he saw earlier.

He has his own reasons, I guess. I can't trust him, but... I haven't a choice. Reo thought to himself as he loosened his cloak and removed it, baring his skin, chest covered by tight sarashi, unusually feminine build now clearly visible. He approached the fellow at the desk, conveniently ignoring the man who seemed to be in the middle of doing some paperwork, as well as trying to get friendly with this man, who Reo probably guessed was the 'master.' Being friendly. First mark of a suspicion. I hope he betrays my expectations.

However, Reo had no intention of interrupting the exchange, so he simply stood behind the pair.

[Rothene]

"Ah. Forgive my manners Vic," Robin apologised, seizing the gunner's hand with a very firm grip, appropriate for his rather large frame, "I am Robin ben Chris. You may call me Robin."

Then the guildmaster looked up and noticed Reo's presence and smiled widely. Reflexively grabbing another set of form and pen, Robin asked, "My my, are you here to register to be part of the guild? If so, you have come at a wonderful time miss!"

Thrusting the paper and pen forward with one hand, "These could be your first step to fame and fortune young lady! Just fill in this form and read the contract carefully!"

[Riseatrance]

Reo nodded and did not even answer. He took the pen and paper with both hands after putting his pouch on a conveniently located chair, which he proceeded to sit on (it was by a desk) after fidgeting with the pouch so he wouldn't place his rump on it. The paper itself appeared to be a form of some sort, Reo had to fill out his name, age, and occupation. Reo scratched his head for a moment. Usually he was accustomed to signing contracts with his usual script of ideographs, but he was also taught that in some situations he must use the Romanized script. This appears to be one of those instances where Reo opted to use letters and numbers. First of all, Reo took the time to read the paper. The fourth rule of the Sakurakouji Clan - read the contract properly to avoid getting ruined by the fine-print. The man who passed him the papers seemed old, but not exactly the brightest bulb in the shelf - while Reo recalled those words - fame and fortune, being paid to do this work was something Reo had expected in the first place, so he had little care for such assurances. Prior to this, Reo learned that the master was named Robin, and the suspicious man was named Victor. He would remember such things for the future.

Reo had completed the form promptly after silently maintaining that the fine-print was a load of bollocks (as he, unfortunately, was still not very good at reading the Romanized script), in the harmless sort of way, before placing his form back on the desk of the Master.

"...Mister, I have accomplished the form as thus... Please call me Reo." he nodded and said quietly to the Guildmaster.

[FrankerZ]

"Ah, it's a pleasure Robin." As the two shook hands, Victor caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a young girl entering. Preoccupied with his paperwork, he didn't bother giving the 'girl' a second glance. After carefully reading and re-reading the application ensuring everything was in order, Victor began filling out the forms with the necessary information.

Name - Victor Avary...
Age - 27 years
Occupation - Gunner...

The list went on, Victor filling it each detail without fabrication.

Any former experience?
Victor reading the question thought for a second. His response was that he learned everything he knew from his time in Lanai, crafting and testing firearms. Throughout the entire form, Victor was avoided writing anything about any former guild affiliation or his time spent in the Lagaard military (surely, a formal guild would frown upon a military deserter).

No sooner had he finished filling out the form, the 'girl' had also taken a form and finished. 'Filling out the form, without saying a word or a giving formal introduction. What a bucket of sunshine she is...' Vic thought sarcastically to himself, still maintaining his pleasant smile.

"...Mister, I have accomplished the form as thus... Please call me Reo."

Victor heard the 'girl's' name. Something about 'her' voice seemed odd. He didn't think anything of it though. Vic rose out of his seat. "There we are. I hope all is satisfactory." He announced. Now standing and facing the master, Victor was able to get a good look at what he thought to be a young lady. He avoided eye contact with 'her' steely red eyes. It was quite clear she had no intention nor interest in pleasantries. There was something off about her, he could almost feel her eyes assessing him. Victor figured it would be smartest to let her continue analyzing; surely he could address any tension later and if he were to match her own piercing gaze with his it certainly wouldn't lower the tension.

"Well, I have just one question. How will rooming be arranged?" He asked as he shifted his gaze back to Robin. "What I mean to say, is that shall we be staying here or at an inn?"

[Curry-Kohai]

"Please, don't trouble yourselves on my account!"

"Come now ma'am, we mustn't let a pregnant woman such as yourself go without a meal! Please, come eat with us."

Ihsan grinned, gently rubbing the bag of clothing and en beneath her beige cloak.
"If you insist."

While faking pregnancy was no easy act for her, breakfast was Ihsan's main concern, as a hearty meal could mean the difference between an agile get away, and a trip to jail. Thankfully for her, she didn't need to run this time, the family she ate with didn't ask much, and that was just how she liked it.
As she headed towards Horizon in the back of a wagon, she looked back at the small village she ate dinner at. A small sign reading "Blueshire" stood between her and the quaint clump of buildings. Ihsan smiled, reminding herself of the location should her adventuring go awry, and she be forced to leave.

Of course, that was the future, and Ihsan was concerned about the present, looking about the back of the wagon, she noticed three men playing cards on a small stool. Ihsan moved to them, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"May I join your game?"

Two days passed in the wagons, before finally arriving in the town called Horizon. By that time, her fellow travelers no longer invited her to play card or dice games, she was far too "lucky" to play against.

Ihsan stepped off the wagon, taking in a deep breath and stretching her arms. She reached into her bag and pulled out a change of clothes, grinning.

...

She was certainly a queer sight as she wandered about the northern wing. She wore a heavy, beige cloak that concealed her figure, belts and buckles hung from it and rags covered her face, save for her eyes, which were concealed by goggles, while a large, en filled bag was slung over her shoulder. It certainly helped against sand storms, but it certainly didn't help in avoiding attention. Of course, Ihsan wasn't thinking about that now, she was scoping out the cheapest stores and the best bargains, all while hiding her identity. This is how she normally entered towns such as this, it helped her to better understand the area, while keeping her face hidden for a large reveal. She pondered what sort of stunt she could pull, until she remembered the reason she came to horizon in the first place. She wheeled around, walking at a brisk pace towards the western wing.

She browsed the signs, still in her rather suspicious get-up, thinking either their names boring, or the signs too expensive looking. One caught her interest, however, a cheap, simple banner reading "Guild ITL, now recruiting!" Not only was she curious as to the nature of the name, but was drawn to the "economic" banner as well.

She lumbered in, standing at the doorway, her cloaked figure casting a shadow in the room, she didn't realize how imposing she might have looked, as she gazed at the three people in the room through her goggles. A woman and two men, one with a gun. She looked at them, gauging their potential for profit. She was unsure of herself, but she stepped forward regardless, speaking in a low tone to mask her voice.
"Um, excuse me, but, is this- is this where I can sign up for the guild?"

[Rothene]

In a jovial mood, Robin accepted both forms and started reading through them, taking great care to pay attention to any lines that would betray cultural values. It would be poor conduct to offend a guild member's culture.

While still looking through the forms, Robin heard Victor's question and promptly replied, "Oh, lodging? Standard procedure is to stay at the inn. Once I have the two of you approved, you get insignia's that represent your status as guild explorers and thus have a quarter less to pay for inn rates. Although some of the wealthier explorers have opted to rent houses for lodging at the East Wing, but those are rather pricey."

Sitting himself behind his desk, when he realised it was entirely unnecessary to keep standing as he explained, "For now, I highly recommend the inn rates with guild explorer status. The owners have been expanding their living spaces to account for the influx of explorers so finding a place to stay isn't hard. Sure you have less personal space but hey, it's cheap. And if you need to store goods, I can offer the guild store room," the guild master pointed to the ceiling, "For free and I live here so you can pretty retrieve your stuff when you want to. If you're reaaaaally broke, I can let some of you sleep on the couch here but I rather avoid that."

Before Robin could get any response from the two recruits, another person entered, and asked about recruitment. To which there was only one realistic answer.

Grabbing up a new form and the pen Reo had been using, Robin presented it to Ihsan, "Signing up for a guild? You have come to the right place miss! Err...miss? I got that right, right? Well, whatever, there's a coat hanger by the entrance where you can put away your cloak."

Then turning to Reo and Victor, he said, "So the two of you, sit down around the hall and make yourself comfortable, I really should get to making some tea with the crowd we are getting. Some of you look travel weary after all."

With that, he made his way to the kitchen behind the desk and started pouring the hot water he left boiling on a kettle on the stove into a few mugs with teabags in them.

[Riseatrance]

"The inn. Very well." Reo nodded and mulled over things for a moment. Quarter less? Reo thought hard over the amount of money he had been allocated for the endeavor, it honestly didn't really seem much... About five hundred in coin? It didn't matter to Reo. He'd find a way somehow. In any case, acknowledging Robin with another solemn nod he took to taking a vacant seat (he was hugging his pouch now) and carefully inspected Victor, before turning his attentions to the cloaked... woman? That was a woman. She had a ridiculously outlandish getup, but it didn't phase Reo in the least. His red eyes scanned her and tried to take in her disposition. Another suspicious figure. This guild is attracting suspicious characters. I suppose I must look suspicious to them as well. No matter. Reo sighed as he looked a bit downcast after seemingly finishing his ocular appraisal of the newcomer. The pouch the girl carried definitely didn't carry many goods either - with all that this entrant was wearing, it was more likely the pouch contained lots of money. Is she what mother and father called a 'player'? I cannot be so quick to judge. I will see. Reo fidgeted with his hand and looked about, seeming a little apprehensive of the situation.

"I suppose some tea would be good after all." Reo murmured inaudibly.

[Curry-Kohai]

Ihsan nodded in silence, walking to the desk to sign the papers. her gloved hands fumbling over the pen that was given to her, she carefully read the fine print. She filled it out silently, nodding to Robin when she finished. She looked about for the coat hanger mentioned to her, eventually walking to it and beginning to unbutton her cloak, and remove the goggles and rags. She didn't set them in the coat hanger though, instead stuffing them into her bag. She wasn't wearing her standard dancer's garb, instead, she wore a plain, beige dress.

She walked to the area Reo was sitting, putting on a smile and holding a hand up in greeting. As skilled as she was at acting, she could never get over the way people greeted others in these countries, and it showed.

"Hello, er, miss, I take it you joined this guild as well?"

[FrankerZ]

"Ah yes. Some tea would be jovial." Victor said cheerfully. "After over two months on the road... Well, that's enough to make anybody weary." He laughed as he took a seat next to Reo. Another person had entered... Victor silent grimaced to himself. 'Does anybody here practice formal introductions? And showing up wearing a cloak and goggles? Pah... ' He was getting rather tired all the silence in the room.


The newcomer approached Reo and offered pleasantries. Carefully watching Reo and the newcomer, Victor was waiting to see how either would react to the other.

[CD-Man2021]

Tired feet and a weary spirit. It wasn’t even the first half of the first day and already Aaron was already exhausted. He wasn’t a traveler, not accustomed to the long stretch of road that laid in front of him. The only positive was that all this walking gave him time to go over the small book Ruckus had given him over how to properly handle and care for his gauntlet. He was just going over the formulas for certain chemical reactions when he heard the familiar clopping sounds of the horse pulled caravan behind him.
“That’s what I should have done.” he said from behind his book. “I should have waited for the caravan and hitched a ride.” It wasn’t until the caravan nearly passed him that his head shot up in realization. He ran towards it at full speed, swinging his hands in the air. After the caravan had stopped, Aaron had a quick conversation with the man leading it, a man he knew nearly his whole life.
“Ain’t you Sancho’s boy?” The caravan leader--Austin--asked in a southern drawl.
“That’s right,” Aaron answered, his English accent clashing heavily Austin’s dialect. “I’m on my way to Horizon. Supposedly there’s something going on there and I need to take part in it.”

After a quick conversation, Aaron was allowed passage into one of the wagons and rode out the trip. He talked more with the leader during the trip, and he explained the labyrinth, guilds, and everything else that was going on.
Is this really what Ruckus was talking about? Aaron asked himself. It seemed a bit more extensive than what he was expecting. Still, this seemed to be the only logical conclusion and if Ruckus said he could do it, then there would be no doubt. The old man seemed wise, and he granted the boy his glove. Why wouldn’t the farmhand trust him? The two days were spent reading, and learning more about Horizon. There was an incident involving a pregnant woman and a few men playing a card game, but Aaron ignored it; he was never much for games of chance. He poked his head out once or twice and only saw farmland. This made him wonder if they had even left Blueshire, but he kept quiet about it. Once the caravan made its stop, he jumped off the wagon, thanked Austin, and made his way into the city.

It was fantastic. It was much larger than he had anticipated, and there were so many people milling about. He spent a good amount of time simply wandering, enjoying the sights, sounds, and especially the smells. Besides baked goods there were also meats and stews he had never tried before. It made his mouth water, but he would have to survive on the dried meat and bread he packed. It wasn’t long before someone called out to him.
“Hey you! Alchemist! Boy, over here!” Aaron turned and found a black smith calling out to his direction. He pointed a finger to his chest, and the burly man nodded, beckoning him closer. “Listen son,” the blacksmith said when Aaron approached, “we gotta be quick. My fire’s gone out and I ain’t got time to remake it by hand. It’s down right embarrassing, this is the first time somethin’ like this has happened. I need you to set it ablaze for me, I’ll even pay you.” The young alchemist scratched his head.
“Uh, how?” The blacksmith let out a loud laugh before pointing to Aaron’s gauntlet.
“Use that magic hocus pocus you got going on there!” Alchemist…Right. Aaron was hesitant, he had yet to use this in close proximity to and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do something like this without burning the whole place down.
“Have you got any water handy?” He asked.
“I’m a blacksmith, ‘course I have water handy.” He nodded before placing his open palm in front of the now diminished fire. He concentrated for a second, and pushed. In a flash, the fire sprung to life safely inside its container. Aaron let out a smile.
“Ya did it boy!” The smith said happily, “Ya saved me. Here, like I said, some cash for your trouble.” He then shoved a few coins onto Aaron’s gloved hand before he could protest.
“It was no trouble.” He said, pocketing the cash. “Listen, I heard about this area having guilds and such? Where might I find those?”

Searching the town for guilds was easy enough, but nearly all of them looked either too high up the chain for Aaron, or required an entry fee that he wasn‘t willing to pay. It wasn’t until he reached the western wing (Imagine that! The town subdivided into wings for the ease of locating what one wanted! Brilliant!) that he saw a banner advertising for ITL. Was that an anagram? International Traveler’s League? I Tell Lies? Whatever, Aaron made his way into the modest building. He knocked on the wall with his gloved hand as he entered, as it seemed things had started without him.
“Excuse me.” He called into the room as he walked in. “My name is Aaron Cloc and I’m interested in joining this guild.”

[Rothene]

With six mugs of tea brewing, Robin returned to the hall with all six in a tray with some sugar and milk on the side and set it down on the table nearest to Ihsan in the hall.

"All of you help yourself to these tea. And..." Robin spotted another person entering the hall. "If you all will excuse me, I have business to attend to," the guuild master informed the rest of his recruits.

With a registeration form in hand and pen in the other, the guild master made a bee line to Aaron, already guessing the young man's profession as those gloves were hard to miss. "Interested in being part of a guild? Well you've come to the right place. I am the guild master here and you may address me as Robin."

Gesturing at the table with the tea, Robin continued, "You may fill in the form there and help yourself to some tea when you're done. In case you wonder how lodging will be handled, you can ask that lady," Robin pointed at Reo, "or that man," pointing to Victor, "for I have explained the details to them."

With that task done, the guild master stood by the table and said aloud, trying his best to address everyone in the hall, "Those with any questions about how things are run here may ask them now."

Thinking about anything informative on the form of note, Robin could only think of a few clauses they were, all loot discovered to be handed over to the guild in order to sell them off. Equipments bought with the guild funds belonging to the guild and thus can be if enforced taken from one explorer and handed to another, unless the explorer buys the equipment off from the guild at the price the guild paid for. Information on the guild discovery is strictly to remain within the guild, and only the guild master may release it to the senate as per the contract that exists between the guilds and the senate. Half the guild's earnings were to be kept within the guild for guild uses only to cover the cost of replacing and maintaining equipments as well as medical fees for labyrinth related injuries and to pay for the annual guild license, rent of the guild headquarter, the remaining half is divided evenly among the guild members including the guild master for personal use. Payments are done on a fortnightly basis.