I got to the tavern early, but I wasn’t first. Nora and Mika sat at one of the central tables. Mika meditated in the lotus pose while Nora sat across from him eating a slice of rye bread generously slathered in butter.

  When she saw me walk in, she’d perked up from her bread and waved me over. Once I got close, she held a finger up to her lips and gestured to Mika. I sat as quietly as I could and winced when the old wooden bench creaked and the metal of my armor tapped against itself.

  Nora and I whispered together like two elders gossiping over the wash. An hour passed, and even though Nora made the same gesture to Ellen, she made no attempt at stealth. Mika opened his eyes and sighed when Ellen sat down next to him like she wanted to break the bench.

  “Morning El.”

  Mika and Ellen launched into a round of verbal spars that I listened to with half a smile. Both of them were unaware, if Nora’s amused sufferings was anything to go by, that the other was flirting with them. Hells, both of them were so blind to their mutual attraction it was possible they didn’t even know they were flirting to begin with.

  Their banter lasted until the door to the training yard opened and the trainers marched into the room. Everyone who’d filtered in over the past two hours turned to look and, in the same fashion as the last two days, the trainers arrayed themselves at the front of the room.

  “Do you think they’re always this melodramatic?” Nora whispered into my ear as we watched Ruth scan the room like a bird of prey.

  “I hope so. Makes me feel like I’m in an adventure novel.” I whispered back.

  Nora smiled up at me. Her brown eyes shimmered in the morning sunlight that drifted through the shutters and was about to say something when Ruth spoke first.

  “Today’s going to be a little different.” Ruth announced. “Over the last two days, my peers and I have evaluated you both in and out of combat; and last night, we gave our recommendations to both the [Hall Mistress] and the stewards.

  “Now all that’s left for this youth program is to go over some rules, get you signed up as full adventurers, and give the stewards their Rite of Choice.”

  “We’ll explain the Rite of Choice when we get to it. No need to look so concerned.” Regis’ high-pitched voice always caught me off guard coming from so gruff a man.

  “Thank you, Regis. First thing’s first, Guild fees come due at the end of the first month of spring. Yes, you can pay before then. No, you don’t have to pay to finish registering. The fee for apprentices is five silvers, and a gold for journeymen. No need to worry about it costing your life savings.”

  Even with Ruth’s reassurance, I still saw some worried faces. We didn’t really use coins back home, but based on some, admittedly older books I’d read, I knew your typical [Laborer] earned around two gold a year.

  “Rule two. No killing civilians.” Ruth’s already hard gaze turned to steel as she tried to drill that into our souls with conviction alone. “There is some leniency to this. If you can make a System bound oath to one of the divinities that you acted in self-defence; the punishment is reduced to a fine of fifty gold instead of death.”

  That got my attention. A single civilian death and you were slated for execution? What did the Guild do when an adventurer took part in a siege? Sieges are almost, if not, impossible to pull off without a single civilian death. I knew for a fact that the Guild routinely gave quests to take part on both sides of sieges. Surely they didn’t execute the adventurers they sent to participate in those.

  “The final rule we need to go over right now involves the killing of fellow Guild members.” Ruth only continued once she felt assured we’d all gotten the last rule into our heads.

  There were a couple mute exclamations but Ruth stamped over them.

  “Don’t be na?ve. It’s a big Guild and there’s plenty on the line for all of you. Eventually you’re going to run into a Guild member you disagree with, perhaps fatally. It’s better there are rules to follow in that case than not.”

  I nodded along as she spoke. We had similar codes of conduct for deadly disputes in the Cult.

  “The two ways you can kill a Guild member are as follows. You swear a System bound oath before a Divinity that the killing was in self-defence or accidental. In which case you’re fined five years’ worth of Guild fees according to your rank.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  “The other more common method is a Guild sanctioned duel. I will not explain the duel rules here. If you ever need one, talk to any member of the admin staff. They’ll take the ten-gold fee and do the paperwork. Only afterwards are you informed of the rules, and within the week you’ll know if the Guild has approved the duel.

  “I doubt any of you will need to know this. Killing any member of the Guild outside the sanctioned methods will result in ten days of whipping. If you survive the whips, the Guild will have you quartered and your body parts displayed on Erhard’s shrine in your home Hall.”

  Ruth took a small break to drink from the flask at her hip. I’d never seen her use it once, but it had remained a steadfast presence on her belt since the start of the youth program.

  “Questions?”

  Around a dozen people, myself included, raised their hands.

  “Amanda.” Ruth said and pointed to a woman dressed in a loose blue shirt and a tight pair of pants.

  “What happens if we’re unable to pay the yearly Guild fee?”

  “The Guild wants you within its ranks, so while missing payment suspends you from using all Guild benefits and facilities, there is a year long grace period for you to make up the coin. If you cannot pay after the grace period, then the Guild suspends you for five years and may rejoin as an apprentice once the suspension is lifted.”

  Ruth moved on once Amanda gave a nod of understanding. The next several questions were all about the rules for killing someone. They forced Ruth to rehash why the Guild allowed it, and to go over several improbable worst-case scenarios, but each time Ruth answered with unexpected gruff patience.

  When she finally got to my question, there was only one more person who hadn’t been called upon, and that was only because they’d just raised their hand.

  “Bran.”

  “What are the rules for murder while in a siege? Are we penalized for following orders that hurt the populace?”

  Ruth sighed, but she answered with the same patience she had answered all the other questions.

  “I will not get into all the legal details of how to behave in a siege right now. But it’s enough to say that following orders for acts of sabotage and other reasonable siege tactics is acceptable, but any member of the Guild found guilty of pillaging beyond the needs of their quest will be sentenced to death.”

  Beyond the needs of their quest was an interesting loophole she’d thrown in but, otherwise it made sense.

  Ruth answered the last question and, after a brief pause to make sure there wasn’t anymore, she continued.

  “Now that that unpleasantness is over. I’m going to impart a few bits of wisdom I’ve learned over my many years in the Guild. Afterwards, we’ll get you all registered, either as parties or as individuals. While you’re all registering, that’s when we’ll explain the Rite of Choice.” Ruth didn’t wait for an affirmative from the crowd before she continued.

  “The biggest and best piece of advice I can give you all, or any new adventurer, is to actually use the Guild. I cannot even tell you the number of times I’ve seen some kid wander in from the boonies, sign up for access to the quest system, then waltz out into the world. Only to get themselves, or worse, their party, killed with some idiotic mistake any admin, steward, or trainer could have corrected.

  “The Guild exists for a reason; you pay dues for a reason. This Guild has existed since the dawn of the System. Hells, our patron, ascended alongside and married Mera. Use the resources we put in front of you, whether that’s our facilities, our admins, our trainers, whatever you think you can benefit from. Use it. That’s why it’s there.”

  Frustration bled from Ruth in palpable waves as she told us to use the Guild like a guild. I struggled to imagine that people truly used a political organization with as much power and wealth as the Guild as just a quest system; but from the heat in her voice, the number had to be sizeable.

  “I have one more piece of advice for you all before we get you registered. Listen carefully when I say this. Don’t. Play. [Hero].”

  Ruth breathed and collected herself before she went on.

  “When it comes down to brass taxes, us adventurers, we aren’t [Heroes]. We’re mercenaries. While our sister guild is paid in gold, we’re paid in glory. We get paid by having our names remembered. You might make your weight in gold, but there’s a reason all of you are here and not in the mercenary hall.

  “You want your names remembered; and I’m here to tell you no one remembers the dumb fucks who die for a lost cause. They remember the one who survived to save a city in the future.”

  Ruth’s voice had gotten louder as she spoke, and by the end of her speech, she’d been close to yelling at us. It took her a moment and another swig from her flask to continue.

  “Now. I know some of you still haven’t figured out whether you’ll be partying up or staying solo, so I’ll give everyone the hour to register. Once that’s done, we’ll have the Rite of Choice and the youth program will be over.”

  The start of our hour began when Ruth stepped back, and the other trainers encircled her. Matt placed a comforting hand on her back before Tammy cut off my view of them. I sat awkwardly for a moment and watched as people raced from their tables to get in line.

  Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d hoped to find a party by this time in the program and I didn’t think I had. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be more than happy to party with Nora, Mika, and Ellen; but the three of them had known each other since they were children and I didn’t want to invade their group dynamic without invitation.

  It wasn’t like I was against going solo. Hells, the [Paladins] dedicated around a quarter of my training to acting on my own in case I got separated from the rest of the Black Hands.

  I wasn’t unprepared to adventure alone. It was just that every great adventurer had a party. A part of me worried I’d miss out on some key aspect to adventuring without one as well. Lost in my brooding, I didn’t notice Nora was trying to get my attention until she waved her hand in front of my face, much to the amusement of Mika and Ellen.

  “Finally.” Nora said, her own amusement clear. “So, the three of us are going to be forming a party.”

  “Makes sense.” I replied.

  “And we were wondering if you’d be willing to join us? No pressure or anything, obviously. If you’ve already got something set up, that’s totally fine!”

  A small flutter of nerves and excitement flared, but I did my best to keep the emotions from reaching my face.

  I was more than happy to join their party, but there was one person I needed to check in with.

  “And you’re okay with this?” I asked.

  Ellen gave me a long, considered look. I watched her eyes roam over not only me, but my gear, the Hall, and everyone else in the room.

  “I’ll level with you.” She said, voice even. “I’m not your biggest fan right now, but I’d be a fool not to see how much better you are than the other sentinels, and we need a sentinel.”

  “I hope in time I can raise your opinion of me.”

  That got me another look from Ellen before she spoke.

  “I hope so too.”

  I nodded to Ellen and turned to look at Nora, who extended the actual offer.

  “I’d be honored and am graced by the opportunity.”

  It was a formal response, and one usually spoke in the High Grace Chant. Typically, we saved it for a promotion within your order, or for receiving tasks from the clergy. Accepting this offer, while it might not be an official promotion, felt like one in the moment.

  Nora shot a confused look at a bemused Mika, but Ellen nodded back with equal formality and reached across the table for a handshake.

  “Glad to have you onboard.”