Chapter 4 - Swords & Shields
Scarlett looked out through the carriage's window at the wooden and stone buildings as they passed by outside. In the game Freybrook had been the fourth largest city in the Graenal Empire, where the majority of the story took place. The game world had been massive—even for an RPG's standards—so there had been a lot of different towns and villages spread around the map. The vast open-world had been one of the game's main drawing points, and the large cities had been part of that. But the Freybrook in the game didn't really do it justice.
The city was vibrant with life. The sides of the cobbled road the carriage was driving on brimmed with people that were moving about with their lives. She had passed by stalls selling all kinds of fruits and wares, open storefronts with detailed signs, groups of children playing in alleyways, and many more sights that made it feel so different from the city in the game. Granted, this seemed to be in a more well-off part of the town, but it was an impressive sight nonetheless for her who was used to the cities of the modern world.
After about fifteen minutes of travel, the carriage eventually arrived at its destination as it stopped in front of a large stone building with an overhanging roof that looked to be made out of white birch. It was situated at the edge of a large public square that had a tall statue of a knight at its center and was surrounded by several similarly-sized stone buildings. This was a busy part of the city. She saw several other carriages and wagons moving around the square as well as many people that were on foot.
Scarlett heard the carriage driver murmur something to the horse outside. A moment later she heard him move to the carriage door and open it. He wordlessly folded out a short stair from under the vehicle and stepped aside for her. She stepped out of the carriage and took in the building in front of her. There was a large sign hanging above the door of the building. It depicted an upturned extended triangle with a wide blue shield inside it; the handle of a sword showed right above the shield. This was the Shields Guild's headquarters in Freybrook.
In the game the Shields Guild was an organization that worked to support the common people. They were a lot like a mercenary guild but they were both more liberal with the kind of requests they took on as well as pickier. They would take on everything, from working as a protective escort to finding a lost cat, as long as it fit within their principles. They also had limited support from the law and could perform some basic arrests and such. If one wanted to play a 'good' playthrough and get some easy quests becoming a Shielder was a decent way to start. The player always started out as a junior Shielder but they also had the oft-used alphabetical ranking system that one could advance through to get better quests.
And it just happened to be that they were the perfect fit for her current goals.
Scarlett walked up a set of stairs to the door, the carriage driver hurrying up the stairs to open it for her, and entered the building. Inside was a wide lobby. At one end stood a large board filled with pamphlets. That's where you'd find many of the quests in the game. Close to the board were a few sofas and tables where an old couple was currently sitting and having a conversation. On the other end of the lobby was a reception desk with a woman behind it. She had long dark hair and a flowing purple dress. A smile appeared on her face when Scarlett approached.
"Hello miss. What can we do for you?"
Scarlett felt a tinge of annoyance at the way she was addressed but quickly pressed the feeling down as she spoke. "I have come to employ your services."
"Of course, miss. May I ask your name?" The woman pulled out a piece of paper from beneath the desk.
"Scarlett Hartford."
The woman's eyes widened as she looked up. "Baroness Scarlett Hartford?"