"Master! I have two letters to send, can we go to send a letter on the way?" Luna asked
"We can address your letters in the Adventure Guild, so don't you worry," he said as he caressed the top of Luna's head.
"But what will we do there?"
"A bounty claim," Mytri added.
Luna raised an eyebrow as she thought over Mytri's answer, but the words just tangled together in her head, making no sense, "Bounty claim? What's that?"
Mytri chuckled, his smile gentle in the morning light, "It's like a reward for completing a task assigned by the guild, like scrambled eggs to you, and I finished it, so I'm heading there to claim my promised gold coin."
Luna nodded vigorously as she gripped Mytri's hand tightly, walking side by side down the crowded main road of the capital, the vibrant sounds of elves chatting filled the air, soldiers patrolling the roads while children ran carelessly through the crowd.
Capital is a beautiful place, happiness, fun or fulfillment, you'll find it there, Master said.
Luna inhaled deeply as the ever present scent of old forest overtook her as she thought. Right, I want to visit El, I haven't seen her for a week…
***
In the very heart of the capital's main plaza lay a circular enclave, fenced off from the bustling streets. The fence itself was woven from the living roots of the colossal tree that grew at its center; the stone road turned into a gravel path as Luna and Mytri passed through the wooden entrance.
Light spilled through the clearing far into the skies, creating a beautiful sight among the dark corners of the capital, captivating Luna, leaving her speechless as she spiraled into awe.
Luna looked up at the top of the arch, and saw hung a wooden sign, "Adventure Guild", it swung back and forth in the wind, a smile grew on Luna's face with the beauty of the place she was in.
The curved path led to a massive ancient tree. The path fenced off from the grass, golden in color as the light reflected off of it, it was like a lake of gold, you'd want to jump and bathe in it. Especially Luna—but she didn't want to bother Mytri more than she already did.
The path led up to a gate erected into the tree with metal circular handles, a gate with a triangle roof made out of clay tiles, on the top, where the roof meets, extending a lamp shining a beautiful golden color.
Above the gate was a simple wooden campfire carved from wood, as well as the stairs leading to the gate were woven from the roots.
Luna climbed the stairs as Mytri gripped the metal handles and pulled the doors open. Countless voices spilled out—overbearing at first, then slowly blending into a pleasant hum as they stepped inside.
Luna looked around as the pleasant scent of rum hit her nostrils. To her left and right were tables filled with four chairs around, each seat occupied by elven men drinking rum, laughing and striking their wooden cups as rum spilled onto the table.
Luna was amazed. The inside of the guild had no traditional walls, but instead they were carved out of the inside wood of the trees, with arches and pillars supporting the ceiling in the middle.
Forward down the red carpet were two receptions, where adventurers registered for quests or claimed their rewards. It was located in a concave where the wall broke, and between them was a staircase—also of wood—covered with a red carpet, leading to the second floor.
The second floor, as well, held tables full of elves on the right and left side. But in front, where the stairs led, was another one too: a square staircase, on each side mirroring each other, overlapping what was covered inside.
A poster board, where quests hung, awaited people to pick them up.
And the second staircase led up to the third floor, where a dome-like room held a globe of the planet in the middle, the whole continent mapped out. Luna didn't know what the purpose of the third floor was; the other two were easily told by their appearance.
But the third floor was a mystery to Luna.
They walked up to the reception and a guildswoman greeted them, "How may I help you, Sir Mytri?"
The guildswoman was a striking beauty with silky, earthy-brown hair that fell to her chest. She wore a green tuxedo vest that reached her thighs, held by a single brown strap.
Her white baggy sleeves covered her whole arms as she held them in front of her body.
She wore a long thin white skirt covering her whole long legs.
Her caring, warm green eyes struck Luna as deeply motherly, tugging at a forgotten memory buried deep within her.
Sweat poured down her cheek as she shook her head and looked up at Mytri, pulling him by his sleeve. He looked down and asked "Ah your letters," He looked at the receptionist "Marry, may we send a letter through your guild?"
She answered with a smile. "With pleasure." She extended her hands, and Luna placed the letters in them. Marry immediately slipped them under the counter. "We collect every letter throughout the day and send them in the evening, each day, so don't you worry, sweet child. Your letter will arrive all safe and sound"
And at the second glance, Marry covered her mouth with an open palm as she said " Good heavens, you took another disciple?"
Mytri nodded, adding, "I couldn't refuse—not that I wanted to. My old friend asked me to teach his talented daughter swordsmanship, so I happily did. It's truly a blessing in disguise."
"I see…" Marry said, her smile fading into something more cautious. "But be sure that never happens again. It would hurt to go through that again." She clasped her hands tightly in front of her stomach.
Mytri's own hand clenched into a white-knuckled fist.
A heavy silence hung for a moment, Marry's mouth twitched on the corners before she whispered, "Sorry."
"No… It's fine. Things happen," Mytri said, forcing his expression into a warm smile.
Luna watched, perplexed, the unspoken 'thing' thickening the air between them.
"Ah right, the reward, I came to claim it,"
"Of course, That's a given, sir," Marry kneeled behind the counter and pulled one gold coin as Mytri placed a quest sheet for a pack of the dire wolf's extermination mission.
"Thank you for your service, and trusting our Guild,"
"That's a given, as you said…" Mytri added
You get money from killing monsters! Luna's thoughts raced. I could do that! I could earn my way and repay my Master in no time. I have to try!
Luna gently tugged on his sleeve. "Can I join the guild too? To hunt monsters later?"
Mytri's mouth fell open. He slowly turned to her, his face paling, a sheen of sweat appearing on his brow. His eyebrows furrowed deep into a frown.
He bit down hard, his voice suddenly exploding through the guild, "Absolutely not!"
A stunned silence swallowed the guild. The other guild visitors looked away, busied themselves with drinking and looking away—a collective silence that spoke of a secret Luna wasn't in on.
She flinched as if struck. Her hands fisted in the fabric of her white dress, knuckles bleaching of color. Tears welled, blurring the faces of the pitying onlookers.
Seeing them, Mytri's rigid fear shattered into fragments. "I… no… that's not…" He stammered, lost. He turned sharply to Marry. "We're leaving. Now."
He strode for the door without looking back. "Follow me," he commanded, voice strained. "And don't get lost."
For a heartbeat, Luna remained frozen, the weight of every gaze pressing down on her. Then, she ran after him, eyes fixed on the floorboards, the muffled sounds of the guild resuming behind her.
As the heavy door swung shut, Marry stood alone in the sudden quiet. She bit her lip until it hurt, whispering to the empty space they left behind, "I shouldn't have said anything…"