Chapter 44 Trouble At The Gates!
?"Direction, Fortuna Mountain!" Jack and foxes departed on the spot, heading for a Heroic journey! Soon at the edge of Dawn…
The crowd flowed freely through the wide-opened gates, and among it there just happened to be a mysterious figure with its features wholly hidden.
It strolled, using the crowd to camouflage itself.
But just when it was about to get to the other side… BAM! Out of nowhere, a fully armored Guard tackled the shit out of it! The sound of bones shattering resounded!
Except, that violence was only the beginning. The Guards encircled the target, trapping it in the middle of a sea of shiny halberds!
"GAME OVER, you shady bastard!"
"Give up! We got You!"
Had the guards not been on duty and dealing with a terrorist, they would have certainly been high-fiving each other at that moment.
That's when their leader carefully approached the target, dragging its hood down. But as they saw the being that hid underneath… they had the shock of their life!
It was…. a GRANDMA!
She was in horrible shape, and the soldiers had to rush her to the nearest Healing Center. Still, they regretted nothing… they had to sniff D.L. out before it struck again!
A distance away, some foxes suddenly thanked the FireFox God for their Master's foresight. They had planned to do just that before he convinced them otherwise!
"Just as I thought, they're watching the gates…."
This was the perfect spot for an ambush. According to the Ghost, they could have even added traps to disable magical disguises. Either way, they couldn't take any chances!
"Woo?!" (We're screwed! What now, Master?!)
The foxes were already running simulations in their heads, but going against the entire Dawn Guard was probably a bad idea, right? Even they knew the Dawn Lords would come.
"We simply need helpers, that's all…foxes, lead the way!"
A few perceptive ones actually guessed what he'd do. They'd set the Divination tent and get allies under the guise of reading their Fate!
"Woo!" (Divination time!)
"Nope! Here's why…."
They could do it, but it would make the recruitment too obvious. Divination —> Party Suddenly Heading Out! People would follow them out of curiosity, for sure!
Plus, if it was seen as him trying to build a faction, it could get his Divination Stall investigated, seriously this time around. No, they needed something else.
They rushed to a building that looked more like a tavern than an actual official agency. Yet, the sign at the entrance clearly read: "Dawn's Adventurer Guild!"
If there was a way to describe the place, it'd be CONFUSING!
It was as if tons of different people from different lines of work had suddenly come together… by mistake.
Some were well dressed, some so sloppy they seemed as if they had just rolled out of bed, then there were Mages / Warriors / Archers / even Bards with their various instruments.
They all interacted together… LOUDLY!
Jack had almost expected guards to be present… but luckily, they were banned from the place. It was barely regulated, and that's how the people here loved it!
This was the perfect place for idiots to showcase their skills, from weak idiots to legendary idiots with more power than common sense.
For many, building a business or Faction was just too damn troublesome. They wanted to bash shit, save princesses, and get shit-faced!… something Jack could respect.
More importantly, this was a crowd the foxes could mix with!
Jack and a fox enthusiastically mixed with everyone, soon finding their target. There was a counter that said | Requests | They just needed to ask the people there, right?
"Old Ghost, you're sure they won't report us to the Dawn Guard?"
"Pfft— The Adventurer Guild cooperating? The sun has a better chance of extinguishing overnight! You have nothing to worry about besides being overcharged." 𝑓𝐫𝑒e𝒘𝚎𝘣𝚗𝘰𝘷𝐞𝑙.co𝑚
Then again, it was expected that hiring mercenaries wouldn't be cheap. They were risking their lives, after all! For this, Jack was ready to cough up the last of the coins he had.
The actual process wasn't long…
"What service are you requesting? Escort to Fate Mountain… right now? Are you sure? Emergency missions cost more, and some weak "opportunist" Adventurers may— Understood!"
Seeing Jack's insistence, the receptionist eagerly accepted the coins he handed her, making his request official. As long as he was paying… everything was good!
She even gave him an Iron token to "keep track of his request".
But merely seconds afterward, something crazy suddenly happened. His request token started heating up, and then… — Tac-tac-tac! — Magical writing appeared on the wall!
T-this was his request?! It glowed orange and was so eye-catching!
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EMERGENCY! Iron-Class Mission!
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Reward: 50 Gold!
Target: Employer's Son
Details: Escort the Employer's Son to the Foot of Fortuna Mountain! Protect him at all costs! *PS: Healer preferred, if possible, to heal after Fate Challenge!
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Just as Jack was eye-balling it wondrously, the Old Ghost explained. To see the writing, one had to be an Adventurer of the appropriate rank… or to have issued the request! 𝙛𝘳𝒆𝒆𝒘e𝗯n𝗼𝘷𝚎𝚕.𝒄૦𝓶
This was made to ensure that Adventurers didn't take missions harder than their capabilities, thus preserving the Guild's reputation.
If anything, Jack sure loved the presentation!
Now all they had to do was to wait for people to take the bait! As for how long that would take… probably not too long. There were already many noticing it!
"Fortu— Guys, look at this!"
"Isn't that a Solo Challenge? What's the Escort even for?"
"Shhh— Who cares?! That's easy AF money! Quick, gather the crew, NOW!"
Some adventurers were already getting ready., thanking their luck! One thing worth noting was that the ones that were so free as to hang here were mostly… bad.
To them, this was a golden opportunity! As for Jack, he didn't care whether he hired skilled or unskilled workers…. He just wanted to cross the Gates!
He was already smiling, knowing they'd soon be ready to go! But just as everything seemed to be going well…
"Scoff— Leeches!"
The scoff carried so much disdain that the atmosphere suddenly changed. It became deadly silent, everyone gazing at the fool that had uttered such preposterous words!
"Who's the son of bitches who—?!"
"Yeah, who's the asshole that s—?!"
Except as they saw who it was, they suddenly became incredibly amiable. It was as if they had suddenly met their long-lost relative.
It was a woman, so beautiful that her entire body seemed carved out of godly materials. But that wasn't what Jack noticed, no, not at all.
Light Magic, a Holy Magic User here?!
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Jack Bright (Classless)
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BODY 18 (STR 6/ AGI 6 / RES 6)
SOUL 46 ( MAGIC 9 / SENSE 18 / WILL 19)
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(NEW!)
- Moneybags! (Wasteful!)??
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