Life Review Ch. 04

On the far side of the market plaza was a large three story building with a domed roof. The guild hall dominated most of the block with its imposing marble walls. Between four large pillars flew crimson banners embossed with gold trimmings and hanging tassels with a plumed helmet over a naked sword emblazoned onto each one.

Shawn let out a low whistle, "Looks like we found the Expeditionary Guild."

"Each chapter has their own standard. The Imperium branch of the guild has twenty three chapters across the territory. This location along with a handful of others are the larger congregations with the branch headquarters being located in the Imperial capital." Denza commented as they strode up the polished steps and through a pair of solid looking doors that led into a large open room filled with tables.

Beer and sweat permeated the air as Shawn took stock of their surroundings. He was quickly reminded of a taproom at a bar, except the far wall behind the crowded counter was stacked to the ceiling with barrels. A number of women were quickly filling or refilling mugs and tankards with various shades of foamy beverages. There looked to be a kitchen off to the side of the bar where servers came and went in low cut blouses and skirts that billowed about as they navigated the crowded room with full trays of food held aloft on their slender fingers.

His initial assumption was that this seemed to be a very cliche set up and expected more than a few patrons to start playing grabass with the waitstaff. While he noticed wandering eyes and twitchy hands, he also noticed large bouncer-looking types that watched the crowd like hawks. A bead of sweat formed on his brow as the humidity had followed them into the room from outside.

Immediately to their left was another counter manned by a sour-looking man organizing a stack of papers. He had pinched features with greasy strands of hair sticking to the sides of his face. Shawn stole a quick look at Denza who nodded surreptitiously before sidling over to the counter. He stood politely for a minutes waiting for the man to acknowledge him, and when he didn't, cleared his throat noisily.

The greasy clerk looked up with an irritated look, "What is it?"

Shawn smiled and said in a friendly tone, "Hello, my companions and I here are looking to join the guild. I assume that this is where we register?"

The man looked Shawn up and down before turning a lecherous gaze to Cassidy's chest, "Both of you?" he asked, his voice was whiney and grated on Shawn's ears.

"Yes, both of us," Cassidy rolled her eyes. She shared a look with Shawn that said she was completely over being objectified.

"Then you will both need to claim an apprenticeship and then return here once you have obtained a Proof for admission into the guild," He said in a bored tone.

"We've already done that," Cassidy said impatiently.

The clerk narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips in irritation. Shawn could see the man clearly didn't like to be bothered. He produced two packets of paper and slapped them down on the counter, "Very well. Fill these out with your name, apprentice vocation, and sign the bottom. Once you do that, present your Proofs to me for inspection. If your Proofs meet the requirements, you will submit yourself for testing to determine your rank."

Shawn picked up one of the packets and read through it carefully. It read much like that of an agreement for an independent contractor. The signee would gain the benefits of membership which included: access to all guild hall locations, a permit to openly carry weapons in public with some exceptions, discounted purchasing rates at partnered shops, and first priority at temples for healing or resurrection. There weren't any set hours but there was a quota to fill every month based on your ranking and the income generated on fulfilled contracts.

"It's not a bad deal, it's a pretty straight forward," Shawn handed the packet back to Denza who looked at him wide eyed. "We'll need one more."

The clerks eye's bugged out and he sputtered angrily, "Slaves cannot join the guild!"

"Slave?" Shawn frowned. "I don't own any slaves. She is a friend and a companion of mine. We met on the road and had similar business to take care of. Your fort was the nearest institution."

"She's a free Elf?!" The clerk's face grew bright red and his voice rose in volume until he was almost shouting. "You dare bring a Velisian here? Into our fort? I demand you leave at once!"

All sound in the taproom had ceased. All eyes were trained on the three of them as Shawn calmly accepted the greasy clerk's outburst. He heard a few chairs scrape as people stood. Cassidy turned her back to the counter and hopped up to sit with her legs swinging as she surveyed the tension filled room with a smile. Denza stepped into Shawns side and glanced nervously behind her.

"I warned you," Denza hissed.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. He slipped his arms through the straps on his back and eased the heavy frame onto the ground with an audible thud, "Denza, there aren't any rules against Elves being in Imperial territory, right?"

"No, but it isn't done because of the danger involved," Denza replied tightly.

"And the Expeditionary Guild is an extra national organization that operates in both countries, am I wrong?" Shawn asked patiently, staring into the clerks angry face.

"That is correct, the Imperium isn't supposed to have any influence into how the guild operates. As you can see, that isn't the case," Denza spat.

"So there isn't any rules that say you, an Elf, cannot register at this location? Could you explain to this man here why that is?" Shawn enjoyed watching the bigoted clerk's blood pressure sky rocket as he struggled to contain his anger.

"The chapter is beholden to the branch, which is beholden to the main office. The burden of membership is on the applicant to prove themselves worthy by obtaining a Proof. A chapter doesn't have the right to deny membership to any individual unless they cannot provide a Proof," a small smile appeared on Denza's lips. Shawn could feel she was still terrified of being unarmored and unarmed in a room full of people who wanted to kill her simply for being an Elf, but she also felt a thrill of excitement by putting the distasteful man in his place.

"So, there isn't going to be a problem. Is there, slick?" Cassidy pointed a slender finger at the agreement on the table. "Be a doll and grab one more; you seem to have miscounted."

The clerk's eyes darted between the three of them as his jaw worked furiously. In the end he slammed another packet of paper down on the counter and glowered at them in silence while they finalized their paperwork. When Shawn handed them over he snatched them and tossed them onto a stack of other papers behind him.

"You still need to present your Proofs. Should they be unsatisfactory then I will have you escorted out of the building and this mongrel put in chains," He sneered at Denza.

"You won't touch her, if you value your life," Cassidy growled.

"Are you threatening me, woman?" The clerk steamed. Shawn rolled his eyes knowing the man was looking for any excuse to deny them service.

"Now now, let's not get carried away," Shawn interceeded. "If you don't find our Proofs up to snuff, then we will leave. I don't think that will be the case though."

"I'll see about that. Hand over whatever you have brought," The clerk impatiently beckoned at them.

Cassidy rummaged around in her pocket and fished out a sapphire ring with a simple silver band etched in runes, "Will this do?"

The clerk took the ring and studied it intently. He fished out what looked like a small brass magnifier that he used to inspect the item more closely. He handed it back to Cassidy before saying smugly, "While that is a nice piece, what is to say you didn't buy it somewhere?"

"What is it? I've never seen that ring before, where did you find it?" Shawn asked in surprise.

"Oh, this?" Cassidy smiled, sliding the ring onto a slender finger. "I found this where Denza found the mouse. It's a nifty little thing that helps me use magic without a focus. I thought it would be enough, but I'll have to use the other Proof."

Shawn looked impressed, "That is cool. Let's get Denza's out of the way first though." He pulled out the Wolf's Eye gem and set it on the counter and pushed it forward. "This is her Proof."

Denza put a hand on his arm, "Shawn, that's yours. I thought I made myself clear?"

Shawn covered her hand with his, unconsciously lacing their fingers together, "We did, and I thought I made myself clear, too. You earned it."

The clerk took one look at the large diamond and sucked in his breath, "Where did you get this?"

"From a powerful beast, where else? Or are you going to tell me that this could be bought at some shop too?" Shawn let a note of irritation filter into his voice.

"This is a contracted item," the clerk bent behind the counter and pulled out a flier that was signed with six signatures. Shawn recognized one of the names as it belonged to Cadder, the Expeditionary that tried to rob them on their first day in Niverra.

No sooner than Shawn had read Cadder's name when he heard a shout from behind him. He turned his head to look and saw a tall bald headed man in what seemed to be thrift store armor. Four people were standing behind him in similar states of dress. Cadder and his goons had just entered the taproom when they spotted Cassidy and Denza.

"Well look at what the cat dragged in," Cassidy smirked.

Cadder's face twisted in fury and stalked forward, "You have some nerve showing your face around here!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Cassidy asked innocently.

"You know damn well-" Cadder stopped mid tirade as his eyes fell on the Wolf's Eye. He looked from the gem to the clerk and them smiled. "Garen, that gem belongs to us. These three ambushed us in the middle of the night and stole our prize when the Elf murdered one of our own. We just came from the temple, he wasn't strong enough to come back."

Garen, the greasy clerk, held the gem away from Shawn, "So you are murderers and thieves? You have some nerve coming in here and trying to take credit for feats you are clearly not worthy of."

"Theives?" Cassidy's eyebrows shot up. "These clowns jumped us. Their just mad they got their asses whooped."

"Shut your mouth, woman!" Garen snarled.

Before conscious thought could dictate Shawn's actions, his hand shot out and hauled Garen over the counter by his shirt. His lip curled around his teeth as he said in a dangerous tone, "You will watch your mouth when speaking to her, am I understood?"

All around them came the sounds of metal sliding against leather. Garen's face went pale with fright. He dropped the Wolf's Eye on the counter when he gripped Shawn's arm with both hands trying to free himself. Denza put a warning hand against his chest, "Let him go, Shawn. Get a hold of yourself."

Shawn dropped Garen and stepped away, "You're right. I don't know what got into me."

Cassidy took the gem from the counter and gave him a grateful smile, "Don't worry about me. Talk is cheap. This little guy is all bark and no bite." She turned her attention to the room at large and held up the shining crystal for everyone to see, "If anyone here is curious, this is indeed the Wolf's Eye gem. It came into our possession when our friend here, Denza, hunted and killed the creature on her own before Cadder and his merry band of idiots could do it. Denza got into an altercation with us when my partner and I went to investigate tracks we had found. "

"Denza fought us, and lost. We took ownership of the gem by Imperial customs, along with her as an added bonus," She winked at Denza. "Baldy got it in his head to try and steal the gem from us and kill us in the process."

"That is an outright lie!" Cadder protested, taking a step forward angrily.

"What proof do you have of this, miss?" A deep voice came from across the room. Shawn's eyes searched for the source and saw it came from a tall dark skinned man with short military style hair that Shawn had come to associate with the armed forces back on Earth. He was leaning against the far side of the bar and struck an imposing figure due to layers of muscles that corded his bare arms and strained at his simple grey shirt.

"That is a good question and one that I don't entirely understand, Denza?" Cassidy asked.

Denza opened and closed her mouth a few times before she found her voice, "The gem chose Shawn. He had the gem in his possession when it sensed Cadder's intent to stab Shawn in the back, and then kill the two of us once he had the gem. All of this was under the guise of splitting the reward with Shawn if he handed over the gem. After the gem warned him, he led Cassidy and I in a fight where the one called Cadder and his posse outnumbered us two to one. We prevailed with minimal effort."

Cadder scoffed, "What utter nonsense. They knew they would never be able to beat us in a fair fight so they ambushed us. Everyone here knows Elves fight dirty. They are thieves and murderers! We should have them in chains!"

The crowd seemed to be on Cadders' side by the number of nods and hushed whispers that ran through the assembly. Denza turned her attention to Cadder and her lip curled in disgust, "You are such a pitiful man. Have you no honor, that you resort to lying? I've already killed one of your sorry band of misfits, should I finish the job?"

The crowd suddenly turned hostile at Denza's threat. More than a few armed patrons moved to stand behind Cadder and start to advance forward. Shawn moved Denza behind him and locked eyes with Cadder who smiled evilly at him. It was Cassidy who broke the tension when she stood up on the counter and pulled the ornate mask and spiralled wand from their belongings.

"If you don't believe we could beat Cadder, then how did we come across these?" Cassidy held the two items aloft. "I'm sure everyone here knows of the tomb to the northeast that was uncovered in a rockslide. I hear no one has been able to clear it. Now where do you suppose we got these?"

Garen snatched the mask from Cassidy's hand and examined it. His eyes went wide and his face paled, "This can't be real."

"It's very real, slick," Cassidy smirked. "After we kicked Cadder to the curb, we need two more proofs to register. We cleared the tomb and found all sorts of goodies." She hopped down and opened the chest that was filled to the brim with gold coins.

Shawn groaned. Cassidy had just alerted a room of heavily armed and angry men that they were carrying a small treasure trove with them. All eyes snapped to the coins and Cadder began to look uncertain. Cassidy shut the chest and took back the mask from Garen, "As you can see, if Cadder were telling the truth, how would we have been able to come by any of this. Surely, we should have died trying?"

Shawn felt the need to remind her that they very nearly did just that, but he kept his mouth shut. Denza was glaring at Cadder from behind Shawn and her hand was drifting towards the climbing axe that rested on top of the pile of her gear. The tension grew uncomfortable between the two sides. The patrons of the guild suddenly were forced to look at the trio in a new light, and a good number started to look suspiciously at Cadder. A booming laugh echoed around the room.

"That is quite the tale. Garen, what's the deal with the mask?" The dark skinned man asked the greasy clerk.

Garen swallowed, "It can't be real. It just can't. It looks to be the mask of the Wise Witch who died over two hundred years ago. Her tomb vanished shortly after she was interred."

"Well, I'll be," The man said in wonder. He turned to address a woman sitting at a table by herself who was quietly reading from a book. Shawn noticed it was the same woman he had seen in the streets earlier that had on the wide brimmed hat and the cream colored sundress. "Can you take a look, Nessa?

The women looked up owlishly when she heard her name, "Look at what, Edwin?"

Edwin gestured at Cassidy, "That young woman claims to have found and cleared the tomb of the Wise Witch."

"Did she now?" Nessa tossed her long dark hair to the side and looked at Cassidy with a critical eye. She stood up up to her full height and gracefully navigated her way through the jungle of tables and chairs. Shawn noticed people made a point to move out of her way and didn't let their eyes wander. Prominent indeed.

Nessa took the mask from Cassidy and held it up to the light. She tilted it this way and that before handing it back, "If it's a fake, I can't tell. It matches all the descriptions from all of the accounts I have read and it is old enough. The mask itself isn't magical, but it was made magically. It was more of a symbol of station, like her wand and staff. It was taken up to keep the persona of the witch consistent and recognizable as the position was passed down from generation to generation."

"Do you know about her? The witch, I mean?" Cassidy inquired eagerly.

Nessa's eye glimmered as she smiled, "Oh yes. I have modeled my own path after hers. The legendary witch that would travel around the lands treating the sick and healing the wounded. She was said to drive off evil that stalked the night and monsters that plagued villages."

"That sounds like her," Cassidy nodded.

"You sound as if you have met her," Nessa sounded surprised.

"Nessa," Edwin cut in. "You can chat latter, but for now can you tell us if this young woman is speaking the truth.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Edwin," Nessa smiled ruefully. "I would bet my next commision that it is the real deal. What was your name, dear?"

"Cassidy," Cassidy smiled back.

"Well, Cassidy. Did you happen to find anything else in the tomb?" Nessa asked. She glanced at the pile of their belongings hopefully.

"Why, yes I did," Cassidy handed over the spiralled wand and untied the matching staff.

Nessa gazed hungrily at the two focuses in her hands and ran her fingers lovingly over the smooth bends in the wood, "This is absolutely magnificent. I haven't seen such craftsmanship anywhere else. These are truly belonging to the Wise Witch. Was there anymore, was her grimoire left behind?"

Cassidy gently took the staff and wand away from the disappointed Nessa, "I'm sorry, no." She leaned in and whispered something into her ear that Shawn couldn't hear. He saw Nessa's head nod imperceptibly.

"That's a shame, that would have been the find of a lifetime," Nessa said wistfully.

"That settles it," Edwin rumbled, "I'm likely to believe Shawn, Cassidy, and Denza. They have proof of their deeds, and also they have your gear, Cadder."

Cadder glared at Edwin, "So you are going to take an Elf's side over a human's?

Edwin regarded Cadder with disinterest, "Unless I'm blind, Shawn and Cassidy are both human. They respect the Elf enough to travel with her and to defend her despite being in an Imperial fort. If you want to push the matter, we can take it to the sands. Is that what this will take?"

Cadder glanced back at Shawn with apprehension clear on his face. He vividly remembered what Shawn's flaming fist had done to him the week before, "That won't be necessary. I'll just have to take this issue up with the chapter head."

"You do that," Edwin rolled his eyes. "In the meantime, Garen, sign the damn paperwork and have them tested."

"But...the Elf," Garen protested weakly.

"What does it matter if she is an Elf? You are representing the guild, you sludgesucker!" Nessa spat.

Garen averted his eyes from Nessa's and quickly went to work finishing up the paperwork. When he was done he turned back to Shawn and Cassidy and said with slumped shoulders, "Proceed to the sands at the far end of the hall. You will be tested by a master to determine your rank."