Ichor Cell

Alex reached the main square with his mind still preoccupied by his encounter with the elven alchemist. It was only when he entered the guild hall that he snapped out of his thoughts.

“…swear that goddamn manticore…”

“…thought so. How many times did I…”

“…this big! Then he angled it just right and I…”

The place still buzzed with activity like it had when he left in the morning. Adventurers crowded around the bounty board, queued at the reception desks, and lounged around the tables and benches scattered throughout the hall. Though Alex had to admit that the numbers had somewhat decreased from the morning. ‘Probably out on missions and stuff. I guess morning and evening are the busiest.’

As Alex made his way towards the reception desks, a few of the passing adventurers seemed to recognise him from this morning. Ignoring them, he was pleasantly surprised to recognise one of the receptionists on duty today. Without hesitation, he joined the surprisingly long queue leading to Polly’s desk.

Twenty minutes later, he was finally nearing the front of it.

When it was finally his turn, he stepped up to the counter and waved awkwardly. “Hey, Polly. Long time no see.”

The woman looked at him with confusion before recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, Alex! Welcome back. I hope you’ve been settling into the guild well. What can I do for you?”

“I’m actually here to collect my reward for a mission I did.” He replied. “Oh? I guess it makes sense for you to already be doing missions, considering your starting level of strength.” The receptionist nodded and pulled out a form. “Could you give me the mission slip and proof of completion?”

Alex hesitated. “About that… there might be an issue.”

The woman tilted her head quizzically. “How so?”

“Well… I don’t really have a mission slip or any proof of completion.” He explained. “It’s for the goblin raid last night.”

Polly raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that only limited to Bronze ranks and above? I don’t think you’ve ranked up in the few days since you joined us.”

“You’re right, but as you said yourself, I’m much stronger than an average wood or even Bronze. I asked the guild master, and she let me join the raid after she tested my strength.”

Polly showed a look of understanding. “I see. In that case could you please provide your adventurer’s badge? It’s a little-known fact, but these badges can more or less record how many monsters you’ve killed.”

“More or less?” Alex asked.

“Well, instead of truly counting a number, the badge absorbs a very small fraction of the energy released when a soul dissipates.” The receptionist explained. “Most monsters already have a recorded amount of energy absorbed per death, so all that’s left to do is divide the total energy absorbed by the energy of a single monster.”

“I see.” Alex’s eyes lit up, then dimmed as he scratched the back of his head. “Unfortunately, I kind of also lost my badge in the chaos of the fight, so I need a replacement.”

Polly gave him a deadpan stare. “Then how do you expect me to even confirm your participation, much less pay you the correct amount?”

“That…” Alex hesitated again. “The guild master promised me…”

He trailed off as he remembered last night’s events. From the look on Polly’s face, she was thinking the same thing. As he tried to think of a solution, he suddenly remembered that there had been another person present when the guild master had promised him payment.

“Oh, right,” he snapped his fingers. “Remus was also there when this happened. You can ask him.”

“Remus who?” She pulled out a ledger filled with names and images.

“Remus the gold rank adventurer.” Alex shrugged. “I don’t remember his surname.”

Polly raised an eyebrow again, fingers still resting on the edge of the ledger. “You know a gold rank adventurer? And you’re saying he’ll vouch for you? I know you’re strong, but you should keep it realistic.”

“I wouldn’t say I know him, but I did save his life a couple times.” Alex defended himself. “And I don’t like what you’re insinuating. That’s not very professional of you.”

The woman showed an embarrassed expression on her face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Would you like me to call Remus over right now?”

“It’s fine, whatever.” Alex waved away the apology. “What do you mean call him over? He’s still here?”

She nodded. “He hasn’t left yet. He got proper healing earlier today and has been at the bar since.” Her gaze flicked briefly to the side of the hall. “Understandably. Him and the guild master were apparently old acquaintances.”

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Alex exhaled quietly. “Of course they were.”

Polly looked to the side and raised her voice. “Tomas? Could you fetch Remus for me, please?”

One of the junior guild assistants looked up from where he’d been stacking papers. “Uh— sure. From the bar?”

“Yes,” Polly said. “Tell him it’s about the goblin raid.”

Tomas nodded, then hurried off.

Polly turned back to Alex. “This may take a moment. Would you mind standing aside for now while I deal with others in the queue?”

“Of course, of course, sorry for being in the way.” Alex started and shuffled off to the side of the desk, letting the next in line finally get their turn.

After a short wait, Tomas returned to the reception counter, leading a cleaned up, yet somehow much more miserable looking Remus behind him.

His armour was gone, replaced by simple travelling clothes that had clearly been cleaned and hastily put back on. His posture was straight, but there was a subtle heaviness to him that hadn’t been there before. An eyepatch covered his eye, and while his expression was calm, it was also distant in a way Alex couldn’t explain.

“Hello.” Remus said, inclining his head politely. His voice was steady. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” She replied, gesturing toward Alex. “Alex here says the guild master authorised his participation in last night’s goblin raid and promised him a reward. Given… everything, I need confirmation.”