Chapter 16: Registration
Isaac took a deep breath and pushed open the creaky door of the Raven's Guild. The inside was no more inviting than the outside: the air smelled musty, a mixture of sweat, cheap alcohol and cold tobacco. A few hunters were seated, hard-looking men and women in shabby armor, their weapons lying carelessly beside them. Some looked at him with indifferent eyes, others with a gleam of amused contempt.
One man, seated behind a shabby counter, barely raised his head as he saw him approach. Bald, his face scarred, a poorly extinguished cigar wedged between his lips, he looked more like a criminal than a guild leader.
- What do you want, kid?" he growled, without even looking up from his newspaper.
Isaac placed his hands on the counter, clenching his fists slightly.
- I want to register.
The man raised an eyebrow before bursting out laughing, a raucous, mocking laugh that drew the attention of several hunters.
- Hear that, Marco? The kid wants to sign up!
A colossus with tattooed arms, sitting nearby, chuckled as he raised his glass.
- Is he lost or what?
Isaac clenched his jaw but remained silent. He'd expected this kind of welcome.
The manager finally sighed and pulled a dusty old register from under the counter.